


Out in the Countryside

by MsAtomicBomb



Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Depressive themes, Drama, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Family, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Loosely implied Gilber, Maybe physical abuse, Romance, Running Away, Warnings May Change, countryside, i don't know yet, social mask
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2018-09-16 12:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 45,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9270752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsAtomicBomb/pseuds/MsAtomicBomb
Summary: Secrets and lies always follow people around, and even if you try to break free from your mistakes—you never will. After living a life she never really liked, Arturia decides to pack her things and leave. Arriving at a country side, she rents a small house from a kind Irishman; Cu Chulainn. She starts to work at the local gas station and usually meets with her landowner's brother—the young and charismatic Diarmuid. They start off on the wrong foot but with time start to form a good friendship.





	1. She's Leaving Home

It is a beautiful Sunday morning, no signs of rain or clouds and the sun is only beginning to rise, splashing the sky with sweet red and orange hues. It is then when she decides to leave. Stuffing her school bag and duffle bag with clothes, she is sure to pack the essentials. There are important documents that she also packs, like her passport and even her resume; if she was going to run away, she needed to do it right. She had been planning this for a long while; she was tired of her life, of the people around her and if she was not going to kill herself, she was going to leave and go far away where no one could find her.

The hardest part of running away was leaving a note. She thought about a suicide note before and she deemed them to almost be the same because she still felt all that sorrow and melancholy. She thinks about how to write it as she brushes her hair and packs any final things that she needs. Her face does not fail to show the pain she holds in her heart, and she simply wants to escape it all.

Working hard for the past year, she was able to gather enough to pay for a room off in the countryside, and there she hoped to start her new life.

_Father,_

_Forgive me but I cannot be living this life anymore._

It was the shortest letter she has ever written, but it is all she can write. Leaving the white paper she'd wished would say more on her dresser, she tidies the room before swinging the school bag over her shoulder and having one last look at her old room. Yes, there were things that she is going to miss, but there were even more that she is going to be glad to leave behind.

She silently closes her bedroom door and then descends the stairs before leaving through the back door. She takes a deep breath as she slides the door open and steps outside. She is finally free.

The train ride is very long, and she mentally thanks herself for having rented it far from her old life. As the train moves, it leaves everything behind; and she feels more free with every second. The trees and towns that the train races by makes her relieved, this was the first time she had ever been so far from her old life, and she loves the feeling.

She falls asleep with the knowledge that there is nothing holding her back anymore and she has a beautiful rest that evening, even as the movement of the train shakes the cart about and the noise is too loud for anyone else to sleep soundly.

Stepping out of the train, she smiles brightly and smells the flowery breeze. This was what she always needed in her life. She stretches as she enters the small train station and she looks about. There is only but a few people and it makes her happy, she is finally away from busy streets and large are no tall buildings around here, only wide open fields where one could run forever. There are only little houses every now and again, scattered far away from each other that it is comforting to her.

"Are you Arturia?" A voice interrupts her happiness and she snaps her head towards the sound.

A tall man stands next to her, hair like the deep sea all the way to his waist and she only stares at him; unknowing to what he will do, and that frightens her a little bit.

"I own the small cabin you're going to rent, if you are Arturia, that is." His eyes are something else, they are like red gems that shine like rubies or something.

"Oh," she nods, "Yes, I am Arturia." She says as she pulls out her small driver's licence.

The male gives her a short smile, "I have your bike already. It is outside," he states as he exits the station in order to head home, "The luggage train came a bit earlier than expected, so I gathered your things for you."

"Thank you," she mumbles lightly as she follows him to a red pick-up truck that contains her bike and luggage in the back. At first she is hesitant and she takes precautions to see if the man is not harmful, but she had already thought that he was not a harm and so she enters the truck.

"So where do you come from?"

"Far away." That is her response and he nearly rolls his eyes but refrains.

"I'm Cu Chulainn, I will take you to the cabin by our house and I hope it does suffice for you. There is a washroom, as well as a full functioning kitchen. You needn't worry about food, because we will bring it for you."

"Thank you," she nodded, "do you know if there are any jobs around for me to take?"

"Not exactly, when we go to the village you can look around, and maybe check about the school too," he glances at her for a second, "if you are that young."

"School is not something that worries me," she replies bluntly, her lips a straight line as she looks out the muddy window and takes a deep breath of the fresh air.

She sees him tighten his grip on the steering wheel through the corner of her eye and she rolls her shoulders. He doesn't say a word against her statement, even if he wants to argue with her. Arturia ignores him and simply pays attention to the rushing fields and trees, and with every kilometre they pass, she feels the weight lifting off her shoulders, until it completely disappears when they drive up to a small house in the middle of a hill.

"This is where you will be staying," the man next to her parks the standard pick-up and steps out, "I do not really mind what day you pay the rent as long as it is in before the third week of the month," he explains as she slips from the truck. She watches as he rounds the pick-up and opens the back door to help her with her luggage.

She bows slightly in order to show her gratitude and helps him take the motorcycle down from the truck, "Thank you," she mumbles as he hands her the keys for the cabin and jumps on his vehicle again.

"I live on the house on top of the hill, so whenever you are ready for a tour of the village, just come up and I'll do the honours," he smiles before driving up the hill.

Arturia turns towards the house and smiles at the lovely feeling it gives off; it looks cozy. There are flower beds around the small blue house and a stone path leading up to it; there is a small shed next to it and she deems it to be where she will store her bike when it rains. She walks up the path, dragging her luggage along and inserts the key.

A wave of relief washes over her as she opens the door and sees that it is fully furnished; a stove, a couch, television and even a queen sized bed in the bedroom. It was a wonder how it was so cheap when it was perfect.

She smiles to herself and places the duffle bag on the empty bed; well, she would have to go to the village to buy some sheets and a blanket. She took her time to check what she had and what she lacked, and she was glad that there were pots—and food in the fridge. There are only small things that she needs to buy, like shampoo and a shower curtain.

She gets changed out of her sweatpants and band t-shirt and to something more presentable if she was going out to the small town. She also brings along three copies of her resume because she needed to get a job as soon as possible.

Arturia wanted to lie down on the bed but she knew it was much more important to buy the remaining items that she needed and to get to meet people and make connections. She drags herself out of the house and runs a hand through her loose hair before bringing it up into a ponytail. For a second or two, she lets her eyes skim over her surroundings. The trees and crop fields ease her worries and she begins to walk up the hill in her heels and business pants, holding her red purse tightly—she only brought one set of fancy clothes because she knew she would need to seem well mannered if she wanted to land a job.

On her way up, she walks past a red barn that seemed like it was going through a ruckus because the chickens and cows were making noises and then a tall man came out coughing and covered in dirt, hay and most likely animal feces. She covers her nose and walks faster as the man approaches her.

"Excuse me," she hears the man call out to her but she only races up the hill.

Knocking upon the white door of the pale yellow house rather hurriedly, she waits patiently for someone to open the door for her. It takes a rather long while, but she hears shuffling from the other side of the door and a tall red-haired female opens the door, a bowl of ice cream in her hand as she shoves a spoonful of the minty-chocolate dessert into her mouth.

Red eyes skim her over and she mumbles through a mouthful, "Very sorry, but we're not interested." Arturia can barely understand her past the ice cream and the heavy Irish accent, but she is able to tell by her expression.

"I'm sorry?" She tilts her head.

The other woman blinks and shakes her head, "We are not interested in whatever it is that you are selling. You see, I do not mean to offend you or anything, but I am not interested in goods that I could buy in the dollar store, or in a religion because I already have my own and I am not thinking of converting," she glances over at a small statue of the Virgin Mary that they have in their small garden.

Her brows furrow and she shakes her head, "Oh, I'm not—"

"Thank you and good bye," the red-head closes the door as she interrupts her and Arturia is left dumbfounded.

"Well then," Arturia huffs, "So much for a friendly neighbourhood welcome." She decides to walk back down to her rented home but as she is exiting the front yard, the dirty man approaches and she feels a little frightened.

"Arturia!" Her head flips towards the yellow house and she sees the male who drove her, "I can give you a lift." He smiles as he walks towards her.

"Um, there's a weird man coming this way," she spoke loud enough for said man to hear and he gave her a small glare, "I-I think he was snooping about in your barn."

Cu Chulainn laughed as he reached to her, "Yes, he was trying to check the temperature of one of our sick cows, but I am guessing that he got knocked down."

Arturia gave him a sideways look and then glanced back at the filthy man, "But um..."

"He's my younger brother, most handsome in the village," he teased the other male, earning a glare from orange eyes.

Arturia skimmed the man over and almost let out a laugh. Handsome? _Wow, this town had to get proper taste in men._ He was covered in dirt and muck from head to toe, hay in his hair and his face smeared with god only knows what!

"Excuse me," the man with orange eyes looked at her and she took a step to the side to let him past the entrance gate.

The smell of animal droppings got to her and she had to turn her head so that she could get away from the smell. _What an odd family_ , she thought to herself as the blue haired male helped her to his red truck again.

"And what about the red-haired lady?" She looked over at him, a little confused over how sassy she had been.

Cu chuckled again and mounted his truck, "That is our older sister," he nodded, "She's our legal guardian right now... Well Dia's legal guardian."

"I see that she likes to jump to conclusions," Arturia mumbled meaning it to be more of a mental note than a conversation starter.

The male next to her let a chuckle slip, "And that comes from a girl that thought my brother was stealing from my farm."

Her eyes widened and she nearly gasped, "It was an educated guess." She still had the will to defend herself, "I simply happened to be wrong; and that was why I would have to make a null hypothesis."

The man laughed as he opened the door for her and then rounded the car to get on as well, "Are you trying to prove to me that you have gone to high school?"

"Not exactly," she sighed, "but I guess that could work as well."

The ride to the village was mostly silent, but it felt peaceful to her. The warm sun through the window kissing her and sound of the wind through the windows as the car moved forward into it. The colourful trees and flowers that they passed by; everything made her calm and feel relief.

She loved everything about the countryside.

_It's going to get better._


	2. Free as a Bird

They had stopped by several shops so that she could have dropped off her resume, and he even gave her a short tour of the town, since the sun proved that the day was starting to tire. The small village was nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, it seemed exactly like any old small village out there. There was a farmer's market, a public library, city hall (although it was not much of a city) and an elementary school amongst other shops and homes. The architecture screamed Victorian era. It was a lovely village, as she thought it to be; cozy and homely.

They looked about the shops a little longer as the sun began to set and she finished gathering important things that she needed for her cabin. Her green gaze had been lingering too much at the comforter set that she very much needed if she did not want to freeze to death…but it was so expensive…

She heard the male next to her clear his throat and she turned to him, her eyes intently blinking up at him because she took it as a sign to pay him attention.

"We can lend you the sheets and a comforter…" The blue-haired male coughed a little embarrassed.

"Oh, I do not want to make you worry over that," she mumbled, "I already owe you too much and I have not even spent an entire day here."

"It will be our pleasure." He finally gave her a full fledged smile and then pushed her cart to the cashier.

"Are you certain? I really do not want to trouble you…" She followed after him with a low tone.

"Our treat," he smirked as he looked back at her, "I'm sure you've been through hell and back to land here, so I'm sure we would like to make your life better or hopefully a little easier."

She gave him a sincere thanks and then she paid for her items. They stacked the truck and then began to make their way to the back to their respectful hill, but they changed their course when he had seen the gas light blinking, "Mind if I stop by the Gas Station?" He turned to her for a short while before going back to focus on the road ahead of him.

"You do not need to ask for my permission," she deadpanned softly, "this is your vehicle after all."

The man chuckled lightheartedly and nodded, "I guess you are correct there," he cracked a delighted smile.

The car hauled to a stop in front of a retro gas station that did not fail to keep up the vintage appearance of the entire village with it. The red roof and green gas pumps told it to be part of the twenties and it actually made her feel calm. She sat patiently as the man jumped out and did what he had gone for. Truth be told, she was a bit weary of the family because they did seem rather odd and it made her uncomfortable, but they also seemed to be really nice people, and she guessed that it was all that mattered. In fact, she felt much more at ease than in her own home.

She turned up the radio as an indie band began to play and she settled back into her seat. The song filled the car and she closed her eyes as she tried to rid her mind of the image of her mother and father as they probably searched the house over and over. She had not failed to buy a new sim card a few day prior to leaving because she knew that if she had her original number, she would not be able to ignore her parents' calls.

She let the music soothe her ears until a knock on the window interrupted her. There was a smiling man as she rolled the window down, "Yes?" She blinked at CuChulainn.

"The Gas station is hiring, want to leave a resume? It's not as bad as you think, and it's the only way to meet other folk around," he chuckled and rounded the car to his door once again, "Got you a coffee, don't know what you like so just a plain dark would do." He handed her a coffee cup and nodded.

"Thank you," she nodded, "I will be back, I am going to drop the resume." She stated before sliding out of the truck.

"Great," he grinned, "glad I could be of some use."

She closed the car door and entered the small gas and stop. The wooden logo board in bright green and red as well hung low (she would be able to touch it if she stretched out her hand), complementing the building rather nicely. A little bell rang as she entered and a young teenage girl (about her own age) smiled brightly and greeted, "Hello miss, Welcome to our little town. Are you just passing by?"

Arturia blinked and returned the smile—yet a little less enthusiastic than the female before her—before making her way to the counter. She glanced about the shop and noted the many snacks and drinks that they offered. They even had souvenirs and paintings of the nearby hills and scenery. "Actually," she began with a short breath, "I moved here."

"Oh!" The girl's eyes lit up, "My name is Jeanne, nice to meet you." There was some sort of glitter in her violet eyes it seemed so welcoming that Arturia's heart clenched a little.

"Hello, Jeanne. My name is Arturia." She bowed her head, "I actually just came around with CuChulainn and he told me that the station is hiring, is that true?"

Jeanne's eyes widened a little, "With Cu?" she tilted her head but quickly shook it, "Never mind that," she giggled, "Yes. Yes, we are hiring."

Arturia nodded, "Great, um, well here's my Resume."

"Don't worry about that. How about you come tomorrow and we can do your interview. I'll tell my father about it. So, is three in the afternoon alright with you?" She asked as she took a sticky note from beside the cashier register.

Arturia was surprised that it had been that quick and she immediately nodded because she was never going to turn down a job offer, "Yes, of course."

"Awesome. Okay, then see you tomorrow at three!" Jeanne clapped her hands together once with a big smile, "Can't wait to start working with you."

She gave one last smile and nod before turning to leave, goodness! She was not even working there yet and Jeanne was much more hopeful than she was.

Upon entering the car again, she turned to Cuchulainn and took a deep breath, "She seems sweet."

"She is…just don't get on her bad side or she'll snap at you," he chuckled, "I made that mistake before. Let's just say that I left the store smelling like soda, which I had to pay for."

Arturia smirked and looked back at the store and through the window to catch a glimpse of the girl before he started to move the car, "I like her."

"Her father owns the gas station along with the farm that's about two hills away from us."

"She's very pretty…"

"…Yes, she is."

The entire car ride back to the cabin was dead silent, even the radio had been turned off because Cuchulainn had said he was not in the mood of any music and just wanted to listen to the breeze and the roaring of the engine when need be. Arturia figured that it was because there was something wrong with the vehicle and he wanted to check if it was the engine.

He helped her with settling the many items in her living room and then left her to finish furnishing the cabin by herself because he had said something about helping his sister make dinner. After settling the cabin, she began to search the fridge for something that she could make for food. She thought about her mother for a while and remembered that she had not set her family picture on the fireplace. She stopped cutting the lettuce and washed her hands before leaving the kitchen.

After finding the picture in one of her notebooks, she took the picture frame she had bought earlier and then set it upon her window sill instead of the fireplace. She figured that she would be looking at the fire place more than the window and she did not want to feel guilty for trying to leave her life behind.

She walked to the door upon hearing a confident knock on it. She had to take a step back before seeing someone holding a huge pile of blankets that even covered their face.

"My bro said you wanted blankets, so my sister picked some out for you," the voice groaned as it was evident they wanted to drop the blankets at the door step. "Where do you want them?"

"Oh," Arturia shook her head, "You can leave them on the couch… I could help you with them."

"No don't worry about it." He hummed lightly and stepped into the cabin, trying his best to balance the blankets as he approached the couch.

"Here, let me help you," She noticed that the tower of blankets was looking more and more like the tower of Pisa. She had already started to put her arms around them by instinct.

Upon taking some of the blankets in her hands, she lifted them from his pile and finally got a view of the man's face. She stood still as he continued his way to the couch and set them down, "Good, now that that's settled…Scáthach invited you over for dinner as well." He turned towards her with a welcoming smile.

Okay, maybe he was the most handsome man in the village as his older brother had stated. He was much taller than her and there was a beauty mark on his right cheek, right below his eye. His eyes were like honey covered ambers and his hair was as dark as the midnight sky. He was very handsome, actually, much more than she had ever really imagined. Of course she had had handsome friends back in her home town, but he was definitely something else. Now that animal feces and feathers did not cover him from head to toe, she could truly admire his appearance. Not only that, but the smell of firewood and pine clung in a little cloud around him and she never knew a man could smell so refreshing.

Usually her father would smell like those colognes or 'Axe' but Diarmuid's smell was much more natural and did not cause her any sort of oncoming headache.

She brought her hand up to decline the offer after remembering what he had said, "Oh, I couldn't possibly…I've already bothered you enough for an entire day."

The handsome male stood before her but he furrowed his dark brows—alright so his eyebrow game was strong too—"I'm sorry?" He tilted his head to the right and she could see that he had been offended by her comment.

"What I mean to say, is that I really do not want to trouble you all any further," she bit her lower lip in a little bit of embarrassment as she felt that she was put in the spotlight.

He blinked a little and sighed, "You are not bothering us, and my sister would really want you to come. She really likes the idea of family and since you're here alone, she wants you to feel included and wants you to be a part of the village."

"That is not necessary, I really do appreciate it but you do not have to."

"Umm, you have to come." He gave her a nod as if he had not heard her.

"I really do not want to." The bickering was already starting and Arturia could see that even if he was handsome, he seemed like a real thorn on the side.

"My sister really insists. She feels like she made a fool of herself earlier and she wants to make up for it, and—In fact—I do too." She witnessed him rub the back of his neck and turn away in embarrassment. "Would you please have dinner with me and my siblings?"

The main reason she did not want to go was because she did not want to be part of a family so soon after she left hers. But she took a deep breath and nodded because she knew that the intentions of the Irish family were sincere and they only wanted her to feel comfortable in the village. "Alright," she nodded and ended the silence, "let me just put away the food I was making."

He waited by the door until she left the cabin and locked it, shoving the key into her pocket before hiking with him up the hill.

"So, um, where did you come from?" The male thought that the silence had been too deafening that he decided to speak and start a small conversation before they made it to the yellow house.

Arturia breathed out and looked over at the setting sun, "Uh," she then breathed in through her teeth, "London." She had actually thanked herself for not ending her life as she saw the colours that were splashed upon both the land and the sky as the sun was retiring for the day. There were things that she would still be able to enjoy, " _the big city,_ " she rocked her head slightly as she saw some birds flying.

He nodded in response and also glanced at the sunset, "Why so far from home?"

She flickered her gaze towards him and then threw her head back as she thought of something she could say to him, "Um, I don't really know. I like nature," she shrugged in response, "Plus, London's not home anymore. That little house on a hill is." She cocked her head in the direction of the small house she was renting.

He had not seemed convinced by the answer as he bit his lower lip, "You need not lie," he mumbled, "but you don't have to tell me either…"

For a few seconds after that they were silent and then she could hear his lips parting and the breath he took before saying something else. He stopped and began again, but stopped again, "Okay, come on." He hurried up the hill a little more and she knew that that was not was he was going to say.


	3. Getting Better

She sat a little nervously on the dinner chair. The house was rather beautiful; mostly being furnished in wood and she knew that they really liked the aristocratic look because the house seemed posh and more mansion looking. As if it had belonged to an earl somewhere along the way. There were a lot of pastel colours and browns that made the house look amazingly beautiful, even the patterns added to the look. The way the table had been set was also somewhat astonishing to her. Her house in London had been much more different and more modern looking than this yellow house.

After they had finished saying Grace, they all turned towards Arturia and she could see that Scáthach was smiling, "Well, I really do hope you enjoy our Irish food. We love meats so I do hope you are not a vegetarian…" she wandered as the idea had suddenly popped into her mind.

"No, do not worry, I love meat," Arturia smiled and took the fork in her hand before letting her gaze drop before the plate of food before her.

"Thank goodness," she heard the other female sigh in relief, "Okay, so, Cuchulainn told me that you came all the way from London, how many trains did you have take to get here?"

"Um, I had to take a bus to the station and then two trains. It was one bloody ride but I'm here now and that is all that really matters," Arturia began to cut her steak.

"That is true," Scáthach smiled up from her food and then began to speak again. "You are probably wondering what we all do for a living, right?"

Arturia shook her head as she finished chewing her steak. She swallowed before answering, "Not quite, but now that you mention it…"

"Well, I am a gym teacher at the high school and Cuchulainn does with fixing cars," The older female explained.

" _Mechanic,_ I am a mechanic." Cuchulainn had been sure to clarify his career with his sister, understanding that Arturia got the message.

"And Diarmuid?" She looked over at him with curiosity.

Diarmuid opened his mouth to speak but his sister butt it, "He's still in high school, haha."

"Oh," Arturia nodded, "I see."

"Although, I plan to join the army. I was thinking something along engineering or something beneficial outside of the army." Diarmuid spoke for himself as he stabbed his fork through a potato.

Scáthach leaned forward a little bit, "What about you, Arturia?"

"Well, I graduated high school a few months ago, before summer, and I still do not know what I want to do with my life as of yet. I do not like maths, so that narrows a lot of options down. I was thinking of simply taking a year off to figure out what I want to do, but I am thinking something to do with policing…"

"Oh, that sounds like a lot of fun," the girl across her commented.

Cuchualinn bit his lower lip, "I thought you were dropping high school…"

"I may be crazy, but not that crazy," she stated and the whole table let chuckles slip, even herself, "I'm not eighteen yet, though." She managed to smile through chuckles.

"Well, if I did not know any better, I think you would be trying to justify dating my younger brother…" the red head laughed and winked her way.

"Oh, no!" Arturia shook her head furiously, "I was just randomly stating." She defended as her cheeks began to light up, out of the corner of her eyes she could see Diarmuid looking away.

Scáthach laughed and brought a hand to her lips, "I was just teasing. Don't worry, I do that a lot. Plus, my lil bro is already taken. What's her name again? Gabriella? Grace?"

"Grainne. Her name is Grainne," Diarmuid spoke quietly.

"Any who," the red head waved her hand as if dismissing the name, "He's called for, hun, so it's going to be hard to get with him."

"Sis, stop teasing her," Diarmuid growled over his glass of wine.

Arturia gave a hopeless smile as Scáthach rolled her red eyes in mock sass and they all proceeded to finish their food. By the end of dinner, conversations had started up again and they all told stories of when they were younger and what they used to do and play with.

"Thank you so much for having me," Arturia gave a short bow of her head, "I really enjoyed myself and you are a wonderful family."

"There is no need to flatter us, sweetie," Scáthach followed her to the door with Diarmuid trailing silently behind them, "Well, my little brother will walk you to the cabin and I wish you the best of dreams."

Arturia returned the smile and then shook her head, "There is no need for him to come along." She knew it was best not to make friends yet. Plus, she did not want to associate with anyone as of yet anyway.

Scáthach took a pensive breath and nodded, "Alright, if you insist."

"Thank you again for dinner and the glass of wine. It was superb." Arturia was able to repeat her thanks before waving them a goodbye and walking back down the hill. It was probably around ten at night but when she looked up at the sky, she was taken aback by how many stars she could see. The bright dots that were stars millions and millions of miles away shun so brightly that she had not even paid attention to the half-moon that tried to light the lad below it.

She stopped in her tracks to take the beauty in. The big city would never be able to compare itself to the beautiful countryside of England. The cool breeze that the early evening held, and the beautiful night sky was so much better than rising buildings and noisy streets.

Even the sounds of the crickets and the leaves whispering to one another were far better that honking horns and loud people.

She looked back down towards her rented cabin and then scanned the land, the many peaks and valleys of what she was able to see for kilometers. Tears weld in her eyes and she blinked away the blurriness. _Yes, life is going to be much better here. Much, much better._

A soft smile formed on her lips and she continued down the hill again, down to her new home…where life was going to be better.

* * *

_**:~~~~~~~:** _

* * *

She tied her hair up into a ponytail rather messily as she ran out of the door, having to close the door with her elbow. She fixed her leather jacket upon tying her hair and shoved her hand in it's pocket to fish out the keys. She locked the door and hurried to the shack to get her motorcycle. _I'm going to be late!_ She bit her lower lip as she started the vehicle.

She had been lazing around the house and when the time had come for her interview, she was rushing out of her house and now down the hill. She had taken note of the path that Cuchulainn had taken to get them home from the station, and now she was just re-tracking her steps.

It did not take her long because she had been speeding and within ten minutes she arrived in front of the gas station. Arturia quickly parked her bike and jogged into the store, "Forgive my tardiness," she excused herself as the bell rang above her head.

"No worries," she heard the other female call, "My father is in the manager's room."

"Thank you," Arturia nodded and walked towards the counter so that Jeanne could lift it for her to pass through.

"Good luck!" The other employee smiled brightly and Arturia nodded before entering the Manager's office.

"Good afternoon," Arturia greeted as she entered the room.

There was a blond man sitting by the desk. He set the newspaper down and gave a smile, the mustache on his lips lifting a little bit, "Good afternoon. You must be Arturia, yes? Please sit." That was all it took for the interview to start.

The questions were rather easy and straightforward. She tried to answer them all to the best of her abilities and it the interview had only taken them about fifteen minutes. She concluded that the manager seemed very nice and since it was a family owned business, she already like it more than any other gas stations.

"Well, what days will you be free?" Mister d'Arc had asked as they were both leaving the manager's office.

"Actually, I am available every day. I was really hoping to apply for a fulltime job because I would need to pay the rent and pay other things that I would need to."

"Oh, of course, do not worry about that. I was hoping to hire a fulltime as well, what with my daughter in school all the time and all that, it gets really busy here."

"I see…" Arturia was not exactly sure was else to say.

"Well, I will be calling you anytime in the upcoming days, so look forward to the call." The man said before leading her to the door.

"Thank you so much, have a great day."

"Goodbye."

Arturia left the shop and walked back to her motorcycle after taking a deep sigh, "That went better than expected…" she mumbled lightly under her breath and started up her bike once again.

She barely got to move her motorcycle when she saw someone run out of the store and after her, "Yes?" she looked over at the female with the long braid as she came into view.

"Oh, I just wanted to welcome you formally into the village," Jeanne smiled and something emerged from her back, "Welcome!" She grinned as she held a bouquet of flowers in her hands, "I hope that you come to love this village as I do, Arturia."

Arturia smiled and gave another nod, "Thank you, Jeanne." It was relieving that the taller of the two had a name tag on her uniform or else Arturia would not have remembered her name.

"I hope that we get to be really good friends," the long-haired blonde female waved enthusiastically at the other.

"As do I." Arturia felt her chest warm up and her heart beat had jumped to her throat. It was a feeling that she had not felt in a rather long time, she was not sure how to explain what she felt at that given moment, but it was something that felt like hope or acceptance. She sat still on her bike as she let the warmth of the feeling pass her by and then she thought about her life before. She gave one last smile before riding back to her little home.

* * *

_**:~~~~~:** _

* * *

She lay awake on her bed, her breathing steady and her mind trying to keep at ease. It was relaxing to know that she was very far away from all her problems. And that there was much to look forward to than pointless meetings and entrance exams. She thought about how people believe that marks do not define someone, and how those exact people believe that one must always be doing well in school and succeeding at life. She even pondered about people that believed that one should not pay too much attention to their own mental well being.

She sat up from her bed and dragged her feet to the kitchen as she thought about the marketing classes that she had taken in secondary school and the mathematics that were forced upon her many times over.

Pulling a bottle of milk from the fridge, she poured herself a glass and thought about what to make for dinner, but since she was feeling very lazy and rather cold, she walked back to bed and snuggled under the many blankets that they had brought to her. She felt happy that this Irish family was kind to her, but she did not really know how well a family worked together because hers was never really united as theirs.

The life of a family that seems much more outgoing with one another, seemed like a better family life in her opinion.


	4. She Doesn't Have a lot to Say

She had started working at the gas stop a few days prior, but there was little to do during the afternoon because not many people stopped by as she guessed that they were all at work, or at school—in some cases. Thus, during the afternoons, she always tried to occupy herself by cleaning and organizing any of the merchandise or the store itself. It was not like working there was fun, but it was not boring either. If there was no one in the store, she could watch the football game on the Teli to entertain herself—the manager had allowed her to.

It was around three thirty and she knew that in a few minutes, the store would begin to fill with customers on their way back home. Within barely ten minutes, the cars had started to park themselves at the gas pumps and she was already starting to get a little nervous because she was new with a cashier like this. She waited for people to enter the shop and soon enough, they did. Most people were surprised to see her because she was someone new.

She cashed people out for about an hour and then everyone was gone again. Quite a bit of people had come by, in fact, she had seen probably most of the faces that belonged to the people in the village. It was about four in the afternoon when the other blonde female came in through the door while taking her uniform shirt out of her backpack, "Hey there, Arturia." She greeted.

Arturia smiled and nodded, "Hello Jeanne, how was school?"

The younger of the two shrugged, "It was pretty cool! I mean, it was actually okay but the cool part was the fact that we had a special guest speaker and we barely have those."

"Oh, that sounds like fun, what was the guest speaker talking about?" Arturia asked as the other crossed the counter and slipped into the uniform shirt.

"Well, the subject was depressing. It was about Impaired Driving, but it was nice to see a new face," Jeanne bit her lower lip. "How was work?" She asked.

Arturia shrugged, "You weren't kidding when you said this is a wasteland." She laughed.

"I know, it gets kind of boring sometimes. But, it's totally worth it when you think about it. Sometimes you're getting paid just for watching teli." Jeanne joined in the laughter and the two continued to talk about whatever they thought of.

"So, what did you think when you first met the Duibhne family?" Jeanne sat back on a chair as Sherlock played on the small screen.

Arturia gave a soft laugh and grinned, "Cuchulainn seemed like your average tall buff guy. I mean I was sort of concerned at first because I didn't expect him to be so muscular. Then Scáthach mistook me for a sales representative and eventually closed the door on me, which made me believe she was a bit rude. Finally, I initially thought that Diarmuid was sneaking in the barn trying to steal some chickens or something. I don't think we got off on the right foot. Plus, I was surprised to find out the 'most handsome boy in the village' was covered in cow dung and hay from head to toe."

Jeanne immediately let out loud laughter, "No way! Was he actually covered in cow poop?"

Arturia gave a nod, "He did not look the slightest bit handsome."

The blonde with the long braid covered her mouth to suppress her laughter, "Oh my, what was he doing?"

"Apparently checking the animal's temperature."

She shook her head as her laughter died down, "Poor Diarmuid, he must have been so embarrassed."

Arturia shrugged, "But now we're getting a long and I really like the family, they're super nice."

"Yes," Jeanne nodded, "The Duibhne family is so nice. They helped my family out when we had moved here from Lorraine; they're super awesome."

"You came from France? That's quite the travel, why England?" Arturia blinked, "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

The girl with the long braid gave a shrug of her shoulders, "Nah, I don't mind." She giggled, "We came here because my parents just thought it would be better. They haven't really explained the situation fully, but that's all I know. It's really nice here though, I love it!"

"I do love the countryside too." Arturia nodded, "I'm happy I came here instead of going to some other big city."

"I know, right! I love it at night, when you can see the stars in the sky and it feels so peaceful—ugh, it's just simply perfect!" Jeanne threw her head back as she thought about it.

A ball jingled and both girls shot their heads towards the door for they knew someone had arrived.

"Can we buy a frap?" A girl's voice came in a sing-song tone. Steps filled the store and soon two figures were visible past the isles; a tall dark haired boy and a brunette female with her arm hooked around the male's.

"Go ahead," Arturia recognized the male now, "I'll go pay for the gas."

"Hey Dia! What's up? Where are you headed to?" Jeanne chirped, violet eyes wide and a smile on her face as she was curious.

The Irish boy smiled back, "Hey girls, how are you?" He glanced at Arturia for a second too long as he reached his back pocket for the black wallet.

"Good," Arturia nodded, "How was school?" She too had a soft smile on her face, genuinely interested in the day of her neighbour.

Diarmuid let a chuckle slip as his shoulders were raised in a short shrug, "It was alright, I guess."

The brunette skipped to the front counter of the store with one of those Starbucks Frappuccinos in her hand, "Gas and this," her red lips etched in a sweet smile. She seemed kind and a little bit childish as her high pitched voice gave off that feeling.

"Totally," Jeanne smiled at the brunette, "will that be all?"

Diarmuid was stopped midway from nodding by the girl next to him, "Dia-baby, could we buy a teeny-tiny chocolate bar?" She fluttered her eyelids.

Diarmuid gave a nod again and the girl put the smallest chocolate bar on the counter before hooking her arm with the boy's again.

"So, where are you guys off to, Grainne?" Jeanne asked again as Diarmuid set the money on the table.

"London for the weekend," Grainne leaned her head against Diarmuid's arm, "We're going to stay with one of my family members there. It's going to be so much fun, right dear?"

"Yup," Diarmuid smiled, "We're planning to do some shopping and enjoying the attractions. What do you suggest, Arturia?"

Arturia pulled a fake smile and shrugged, "Well, there are so many things, it's hard to settle on just one."

"I know!" The brunette clapped her hands together once before gasping, "And you're Arturia! The one from London, right? Oh, I thought I would never meet you, Diarmuid talks a bit about you, I almost feel jealous!" She giggled, "I'm Grainne nice to meet you, Arturia."

The green-eyed female nodded, "You as well."

"Well, goodbye girls, see you on Monday." Diarmuid waved them goodbye after he had paid for the items and collected them off the counter. The store was brought into silence again—but the voice of Benedict Cumberbatch whispered in the background.

"Alright-y then!" Jeanne grinned, "It was good to see them, huh?"

Arturia continued to stare at the door absent mindedly, "She's very pretty, isn't she?" She did not know why she said it out loud, but the words flew on their own and there was slight discomfort in her chest.

The French girl blinked as she waited until Arturia turned to face her at last, "Why would you say that?"

"What?" Arturia lifted an eyebrow, "She is pretty."

"That's not what I meant… of course she is, but you seemed upset… You're pretty too, you know."

The Englishwoman let a short laugh slip from her mouth as she shook her head, "I was not sad and I'm not as pretty as she is for sure." It wasn't long before they were interrupted by another customer.

Arturia closed her eyes as the autumn breeze kissed her gently. She held her breath as she thought everything through. If she had taken a step back when she was leaving home would she be here at this moment? Her heart beat a bit faster and she thought about London again, about what was possibly awaiting her there. She placed on her helmet and walked towards her bike as she fished out her keys.

Swinging her leg over the motorcycle, she started it and soon the rowdy sound it made followed the trail back to her small cabin. She arrived home and closed the door shut again, dragging her feet to the couch. She had barely noticed the envelope on the coffee table, but the moonlight was shining upon it steadily.

Arturia gave it an odd look before she picked it up. A blank and white envelope was not something she really thought she would find, and thus, with quite a bit of skepticism, she slowly opened it. Pulling the letter from inside she skimmed her eyes over it. It was from Scáthach asking if she would like to go over for breakfast the following day and if she was not working go out to the village to shop for produce.

Arturia groaned a bit but she nodded, knowing her weekends were free anyways. She thought it would do her good to get to know the town a bit more and maybe she could stop to make some friends. She was delighted that Jeanne and her kicked it off very well and she was starting to accept the fact that she was being integrated a bit everywhere.

There was a slight concern in her core though, she felt a little scared of what was happening at home, but she wouldn't call because she was afraid that her parents would come for her.

A slight crack in the curtains let a ray of sunlight shoot through the room and conveniently land on her eyes after a few minutes, she turned about in her bed but she already knew that she had to get up. It was the loud cock-a-doodle that made her regrettably push herself to a sitting position. She rubbed her eyes with a groan and pulled the covers off herself before letting her feet land on the cold wooden floor.

She groggily continued her morning routine and proceeded to exiting the house and making her way up the hill to her landlords' place. She knocked on the door and awaited to be ushered in, and that took little to no time as it turned out that the red-head had been waiting in anticipation.

"Good morning, Arturia, how are you?" Scáthach grinned, noticing that Arturia was not a morning person by the look on her sleepy face, "Did you sleep well?"

The green-eyed female nodded slowly, "Yes, thank you."

"Sit please," the younger female had been led through the house and into the dinning room in no time and the food was already placed upon it.

"Will your brothers not be joining us?" Arturia thought to ask as her lungs filled with the smell of eggs, and fresh-baked bread.

Scáthach frowned, "Unfortunately no, Cu Chulainn is worrying about a neighbour's car and headed off quite early while Diarmuid ran off with his girlfriend again… I can never control those two." She sat down at her seat and invited Arturia to join her, "Those boys just never listen."

Arturia took her seat where the food had been set, "Do they always leave you behind? If you don't mind me asking."

"Oh, they always do. Always. Cu is either at the car shop or off with a random woman… and Diarmuid… well he's constantly with his girlfriend; running after her everywhere." The woman looked bored of her life, "I honestly dislike Grainne, she seems to be hiding something behind her overtly happy smile. And Cu doesn't know when to stop."

It was an odd feeling having someone that Arturia had just met pour out her family problems. Arturia sat silent, not touching her food and her sight cast down in front of herself, "Grainne seems nice to me," she did not comment on Cu's behaviour because it was best to keep silent.

"Don't get me wrong, Grainne is a nice person… there is just something about her that does not sit well with me…" Scáthach sighed, "I do not think she is a good match for my youngest brother. She seems to be a bad influence on him… I honestly don't know." She rested her face on her hand, "Well, anyway, please eat."

"It's nice to talk to someone from outside of the village, you know?" The red-head fixed her grip on the steering wheel as they turned to the right and drove away from their respective hill. After they had finished breakfast, they were already off to the village, "In a small town, rumors spread quicker than wild fire, and before you know it; the whole town's in flames about the latest gossip. It's hard to deal with talkative middle aged women, but you get used to it after a long while. Plus, when there's fresh meat in town, people like to act as if they are the best… It's also a breath of fresh air when people don't know your entire life story."

"Uh, yes," Arturia slowly nodded, "I guess it is." She gave a shrug of her arms as she did not want to exceed her stay. She always felt as if she was intruding one way or another.

A prompt nod from the woman behind the wheel, "So, how does it feel to start fresh? It must be a thrilling experience, as I imagine."

The car flew by a few rolling fields before Arturia recognized the clearing that lead to the village, "Refreshing, I think." She mumbled, paying a lot of attention to the emptiness that surrounded their car, the many fields and farms, and the woods in the far distance.

"I'm glad that you are having a good time."


	5. I Feel Fine

The car soon hauled to a stop near the center of the town—where a vintage clock tower remained suffocated by vines that lingered all throughout it. "I was thinking to go to the city out for shopping, but I just _know_ that we're bound to find something around these little town shops; plus, I'm sure you want to get accustomed with the people about. I'll let you in on their secrets as we pass them by, I wouldn't want you to be trapped by their charms." The red-head chuckled as she moved the stick to park and killed the engine with a quick turn of a key.

Arturia unbuckled her seatbelt and let it run back to its resting place before pushing the car door open and stepping outside. She gave a short stretch of her legs before walking over towards Scáthach who had exited the car as well. The woman swung a black purse over her shoulder and pushed her silky hair back over her shoulder, "I was thinking to get some nice shirts, what do you think?" Her red eyes flickered to the young girl.

"Whatever you would like," Arturia mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck. She was a bit shy here in this little town, she simply wanted to start all over and she didn't want to mess up a second time around—shyness was proving to be best way of not tripping up.

Scáthach pushed a door open and held it for Arturia to follow her in to a flower shop, "I wanted to get some for the dinner table," she said before taking a deep breath of the sweet flowers.

Arturia had caught sight of a rose whilst she walked through the store after the woman had disappeared in the jungle of plants. She approached it with slow and steady steps, picking it out from the vase filled by other nearly identical roses. She reached into her pocket and drew out a few coins, counting them to check if she had enough for it.

"Oh, hello young lady! What brings you to town?" A woman approached her, grey hair almost escaping from its bun a top her head.

Arturia's eyes widened a little and then gave a courteous nod, "Yes," she responded but afterwards realized that was not the answer to the question of the lady, "Oh, sorry, I wanted to actually ask,"—she completely forgot about the question at hand— "how much for this rose?"

The woman stretched her lips into a bright smile, "Two pounds," she answered, "Are you passing by?"

Arturia counted the coins in her hand again but she was short; she should have brought more money, "Oh," she lifted her head, registering the rephrased question again, "Actually I—"

"Arturia!" Scáthach interrupted the young girl by singing her name, "How do you—Oh, Hello Mrs. Thompson how are you?" She was holding a bouquet of white tulips in hand and had thought to ask the girl for her opinion.

The old woman looked between Arturia and the Irish woman a couple of times, "I'm doing well, and yourself?"

Scáthach smile, her glossy lips stretching in an enchanting manner, "Very well," she nodded, "I'd like you to meet Arturia," she strode towards the two, "She moved here a week ago and she's staying at our cabin."

"Oh," Mrs. Thompson turned to Arturia and smiled sweetly, "Welcome to the town, sweetheart; the flower is all yours." It was odd to see such a drastic change in a short time span that Arturia had been left quite bewildered for a while.

She opened her mouth and her words slipped out all stuttered, "U-uh, thank y-you."

Scáthach gave her an encouraging smile and finally stood next to the short young lady, "Well," she turned towards the blonde, "what do you think of these tulips?"

Half the day was spent running around the shops and buying new things—although the red head had been the only one doing the buying. Arturia sat back into the passenger's seat and she held the rose to her nose, taking in the sweet fresh scent as the woman next to her continued to let her in on the details of each of the women they had met—including Mrs. Thompson.

"Well, you know what they say; loose lips sink ships." The woman shrugged, turning the steering wheel so that the car swerved towards their respective hill. They had spent a fair share of their time in the town and now that they were heading back, Arturia was feeling relieved because the smile she had been holding was starting to hurt her cheeks.

Both the females entered the big empty house and Arturia followed the older of the two towards what she had understood was the kitchen. Once there, Scáthach had gone on about a rumour that had been spread about her. It wasn't as if Arturia didn't care but she did not really think this information to be as valuable because it had happened years ago.

Ripping a bag of popcorn kernels and pouring quite a bit into a large pot before pouring olive oil in as well, Scáthach had opted to let the young girl in on the latest gossip she had heard being spread about herself, "So, I heard—" she covered the pot with a tight lid and turned the stove on— "that Christina was talking behind my back the other day. You see, it's pretty obvious that I don't have a grip on my brothers although I am the oldest and supposedly should and _everyone_ just loves to say that my brothers' uncontrolled behaviour and misconduct is all my fault. I heard her saying that I'm just seducing my students with my—and I quote— 'short skirts and slutty tops'. Now let me tell you, Arturia," with the slow popping of the popcorn she grew more enraged, "I have never once worn skirts more than five inches above my knees, and not only that! How dare she have the audacity to accuse me of that when I teach gym and am usually in gym clothes. The nerve of some people."

Although the matter was pretty serious, Arturia couldn't help but giggle a bit at the fact that the grown woman sounded so much like a teenaged girl plotting revenge on the school cheerleader.

"Are you poking fun at me, Arturia?" Scáthach had crossed her arms over her chest in exasperation, popcorn popping more of a frequent sound that gave life to the otherwise silent kitchen.

The young lady shook her head slowly, "Oh no! I was merely giggling at the ludicrous accusation." _Woah, nice save there_ , she told herself—although her statement was not a completely lie.

"Isn't it?" They continued talking for a while more until the popcorn was deemed done by the red-head and after the majority of it had been poured into a bowl, it was sprinkled with salt. They had settled on watching a movie and it was one of those famous magical Disney trilogies; you know, the one with the lion.

Scáthach was cuddled up on one corner of the couch, a maroon blanket a top her, whilst Arturia sat at the opposite corner.

They were both giggling at something that one character had said when they both heard the front door open. It wasn't as late as the red-head had anticipated; only a quarter after nine and she was surprised that Cú had come home so early on a Saturday night. As was usual, he arrived past midnight, sometimes as late as the following morning. After having fought with him many times over, she'd given up and he got to arrive whenever the small heart of his wanted.

"Ah," she called out, repositioning herself in the couch and making it groan under her, "what brings you home so early?"

Instead of the sarcastic laugh she so expected to receive from her blue haired brother, she instead heard the nervous tone of the youngest, "Uh, something important came up." It surprised Scáthach a lot that her younger brother was home as he said he was due back on Sunday evening.

The red head sat up straight after Arturia had done so once the front door squealed open. Her brother entered past the archway that led to the foyer and gave a shy smile after realizing that Arturia was in his house as well.

"What was so important that made you drop your girlfriend in London?" There was one thing that Arturia was able to catch from Scáthach; she was blunt as hell when it came to her family and one sarcastic sister.

Diarmuid seemed to blush and it was even visible in the darkness of the room, "Uh, you know, this and that." He stuttered out and then lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck. He gave a shy wave to Arturia and the blonde returned the gesture. He was adorably awkward.

Scáthach glanced between the two and rolled her eyes just as the boy approached them, "What are you guys watching?" He asked.

"None of your business." The woman growled and kicked at her brother playfully as he tried to sit down.

"Narnia," Arturia responded softly and the boy grinned while his sister gave her a look that spelt betrayal.

"Thank you, Arturia," he gave her another bright smile and proceeded to sit until Scáthach kicked him hard enough to make him stand up.

"This is a girls' night out, so get out; night, night." She waved at him as she gave him a smug look.

Diarmuid huffed, knowing that his sister was much too stubborn tonight and so he waved and mumbled a simple goodnight before heading off towards the kitchen.

Scáthach had calmed down until the realization dawned upon her, "Arturia, can you bring the rest of the popcorn; I don't want Dia to steal it. It's on top of the counter where we left it."

Arturia nodded slowly and stood from the couch, she entered the kitchen and soon spotted what she understood was Scáthach's greatest fear—Diarmuid munching on popcorn as he looked at the fridge. The blonde stood still, taking in the perfect physique of the man as he leaned back and observed whatever was catching his attention.

Arturia coughed a little and the young man jumped in surprise, holding a hand to his chest, "My god," he grunted, "you nearly killed me."

A smile stretched her lips and she let a chuckle slip slightly, his cheeks setting ablaze, "So, what was important enough to return for?" Arturia was curious about what had brought him back, her eyes blinking a bit in their confusion.

He returned the sweet gesture on his own pale lips and held a finger to them, "It's my sister's birthday tomorrow," he hushed over.

Her smile widened and she looked down, it was sweet of him to return for his sister's sake, "That's good to hear. How did Grainne take it?"

Diarmuid stiffened. Visibly at that. He gave a chuckle that seemed to mask all that he was hiding and turned to her more, popping a kernel in his mouth, "Um, you know, the usual." He gave a short shrug.

"And what is the usual?" She furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head, "It's not as if I actually know it." There was playfulness in her voice but the man didn't quite catch it.

"U-uh… you know, like a small fight and a few puppy faces from her side; the usual." He shrugged as if it was nothing and Arturia almost bought it, that was until she saw something on his cheek.

"Did…did she hit you?" It was faint, but it was there and if it weren't for the bright kitchen light, it would have gone unseen. His cheek had clearly been cut slightly—not deep but enough to draw a thin line of blood and there was a forming bruise around it.

He was suddenly startled by her question and immediately drew his hand to cover his cheek, "What? What makes you think that?" He was obviously nervous and filled his mouth with popcorn so that he wouldn't speak.

"She did, didn't she?" Arturia was glaring at him now, her green eyes were slits and she had a frown on her lips, "And you let her?"

He sighed heavily, "It's only understandable, I mean, she'd been waiting for this for a long time and then I bailed on her last minute. I see where she was coming from."

"Coming from?" She boiled with anger, "That's no excuse to hurt you."

"Arturia, I think I'm able to judge my own girlfriend's character. You just got here; it's not like you know everything." His voice was harsher than she had ever heard it before and it was enough to shut her up. He was completely right; it was not her place to be speaking.

The booming voice of the older woman called out, causing them both to jump a little, "Arturia, did you fall into the sink or something?" With that, the two teenagers simply nodded at one another as a courteous farewell before Arturia went back with the popcorn in hands, "What took you so long? Don't tell me you were seducing my brother."

"What?" Arturia choked, her cheeks turning beet red, "Wh-don't say that! He has a girlfriend that he very much respects."

Scáthach ran her teeth over her bottom lip and the shrugged, "Well, that shouldn't stop you. I mean, it's not like they're married." The movie was still playing as Arturia sat down with the popcorn in hand, "I told you I dislike Grainne."

Arturia was so close to asking about how Grainne treated Diarmuid but she refrained from prying into personal matters any longer.

* * *

Jeanne heard the familiar motor of Cú's truck drive into the gas station; no, Jeanne hadn't memorized it because she was a stalker (she wasn't) but rather because it made a weird quacking noise when he killed the engine-it was ridiculous to be honest.

She waited for him to enter the store, but instead of coming in alone, there was a brunette clinging to his shoulder. Jeanne felt her heart clench but she forced a smile—she already knew this was a useless crush, "Hello!" Her greeting seemed to startle the man because Jeanne never worked Saturday evenings—ever.

"J-Jeanne, how are you?" The blue-haired was trying to keep his head up high, at least he knew Jeanne would mind her business, "What are you dong working tonight?"

Jeanne glanced at the woman, her hair was slightly messy and she could see the pink lipstick a bit smeared and rather evident on Cú's neck and the corner of his lips. She pushed aside the feeling of pain in her heart and slowly punched in the numbers, "My brother had to attend a birthday party so here I am." She smiled again and gave a shrug, "What about you?"

"Dancing for a bit at a club and then we're going home," the woman's husky voice spoke before the Irishman could formulate words. She had winked at the end of her sentence. She was pretty, and she seemed a bit sweet as well; a tall and proud Scotswoman.

Jeanne grinned half-heartedly, taking the comment as innocently as possible but knowing the double meaning, "I hope you get home safe."

It wasn't long before the lady went on ahead, swinging her hips seductively and leaving Cú and Jeanne completely silent, "Well, um, I-ha, see you around darling." He felt like making up an excuse but he stopped himself and just waved at her.

"He's such a flirt," she mumbled to herself after he left, his car making a soft quack before falling into a normal automobile sound and driving off. She felt quite upset but what was she to expect from a simple crush on an older man.


	6. A Soft Smile

"Why do I even like him?" This had probably been the fiftieth time that Jeanne repeated the same question and Arturia was slightly annoyed about it. It was Sunday afternoon and usually none of the two worked this shift but Jean had gotten hungover in the birthday party the previous night and his father was utterly upset which meant this kid was cleaning anything Jacques found that was out of place.

Arturia huffed after sweeping near the front of the store, "And might I ask why?" She hadn't done so any earlier because she thought Jeanne was just sulking in her own sorrows, "What's wrong?"

Jeanne groaned, stretching herself over the counter and letting her face hang in front of the candy bars, "Cú isn't a good guy, right?"

Arturia held her breath because Jean wasn't the only one coming home to get a scolding the preceding night. The young lady had remained watching all of the Narnia movies with Scáthach and they had even begun the Pirate franchise as well. It was about two in the morning when Cú stumbled in with a giggling female after him. Let's just say that it didn't get pretty when the siblings started fighting and the girl was kicked out in a matter of seconds (a taxi called for her because Cú was sober enough not to let her leave alone).

"He's _that_ bad that you aren't even _breathing_? Ugh." The younger of the two groaned again and then reached for a candy, a chocolate to be exact, "You know, he came with this really beautiful woman yesterday… Oh no, is this gossiping? I can't gossip."

The green-eyed girl watched Jeanne cover her mouth and close her eyes shut, "He's a good man… just not right for you. Plus, he's a few years older than you." Cú was a player and Arturia was a firm believer that Jeanne deserved better—especially after yesterday's shenanigans.

"Yeah, I guess you're right; I should forget about him," she sighed and the slapped her cheeks, "Okay, I'm going to start today!" She was an optimistic girl, really, but that didn't prove to always be good. It wasn't long after this that the little bell rang and someone stormed into the store.

"Shit, it was _today_?" They both immediately knew who that foul mouth belonged to, no one else seemed to swear with such a harsh tone.

Someone else followed in after him, "You should really consider being a sailor, Cú, you know?" And that was obviously 'everyone's favourite eye candy' (as is claimed by Cú when he teases his brother). They were in a rush and were quickly looking around for something still unknown to the females at the counter, "How could you forget it was today?"

The blue haired man growled, he really did resemble a hound with those sharp canines and husky voice, "Because you ran off with little miss perfect and Scatty said she was not going to be home yesterday or today; which happened to be the _biggest_ lie she ever told."

The younger male burst into laughter, "I thought you said that it was when she lied about you being adopted for five years. You're just butt hurt that Scáthach kicked that woman out yesterday… man you should have seen your face when you stomped up the stairs; you're such a child."

"Yeah, shut the fuck up. I'm pretty sure you would've done the same if it were your _little ball of sunshine_." Cú rolled his eyes as he mocked Diarmuid and then decided—after not finding what he was looking for—to actually ask the staff for assistance. He walked up to the counter where both Jeanne and Arturia stood silently and almost on the verge of laughter. He leaned forwards onto the counter and pulled his famous (or rather infamous) smirk before winking at Jeanne, "Hey sweetheart, you don't happen to have birthday cards, do you, babe?"

Jeanne immediately bit the inside of her cheeks so that the male before her didn't make her heart skip a beat—this obviously failed.

"Uh, um…" Arturia almost huffed at hearing Jeanne trip over her words. It was a mere miracle that Diarmuid had found the birthday cards and called his older brother over or else Jeanne would continue to mumble words that wouldn't make any sense.

"Thanks babe," Cú winked at her one last time before heading off towards his brother.

They soon came back to the counter where Arturia offered to cash them out, "So you both forgot your sister's birthday?" Arturia was much more ballsy than Jeanne so she clearly decided to comment on the whole ordeal.

Cú and Diarmuid looked at each other and huffed, "Yes," they both replied in unison but it was Diarmuid to bring an explanation to light, "It's just that there's been a lot going on these past few weeks and we can never tell what day it actually is."

"But, she's having a small party, she handed some invitations out." Jeanne had finally found it in herself to speak in coherent English though her heart was still going wild in her chest; it was a wonder no one heard it.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit." Nothing more was expected to come from Cú's mouth, "Pass me a pack as well." No one commented while Arturia turned around and reached for a pack of cigarettes, placing it on the counter while catching a glimpse of Diarmuid's small bruise.

It was still there and quite evident, she was curious to know what he had told his sister and brother as an excuse, or if he had told them the truth.

"Well, I think it would be best to get home and decorate," Diarmuid spoke with slight dread in his voice after Cú paid for the purchases and they hurried out of the store.

Arturia immediately turned to Jeanne and rolled her eyes, "So, when are you starting to forget about Cú again?"

Jeanne dropped her head and sighed, "Just bear with me right now; I'm trying."

Since both Jeanne and Arturia had been invited to the small party Scáthach was throwing for her twenty-eighth birthday, Jeanne had invited Arturia over to her place. It took a lot of convincing but Jeanne had finally gotten on the motorcycle and they drove two hills further away from the village and arrived at her house.

"I understand you have a limited amount of nice dresses… So maybe we could get ready together." These were Jeanne's true intentions and of course Arturia already knew this before they left the store but Jeanne thought to mention it a second time in case Arturia wanted to chicken out. They picked up a few dresses that Jeanne thought would be proper to wear at the small function and headed back to Arturia's place, where they could get ready.

It took them a total of two hours to get everything settled and Jeanne had lent Arturia a plain floral dress along with some dark coloured flats while the younger wore a white dress with pointed shoes. They did not work too much on their make-up because it was a small party but at least their hair had to look presentable. They chatted as they walked up the hill, where they saw a few cars parked already. The door was opened to them by none other than Scáthach herself. The Irishwoman was clad in a turtle-neck sleeveless burgundy dress while her hair was up in a pony tail.

"Wow, you two look beautiful. So glad you could make it, come on in." Jeanne handed her the gift Arturia and she had picked out.

"You're the one looking lovely," Jeanne smiled as they entered the house. They greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek and then they were lead to the dinner table where there was a lot of food already placed.

A woman with long white hair began a conversation with the Irishwoman and both were dragged along, "Oh, are you the new girl in town?" The woman was bright—not only pale in skin colour but bright. Her red eyes glittered with curiosity at Arturia and a smile pulling her thin lips to either side of her cheeks.

"Hello, my name is Arturia." The blonde extended a hand, returning the kind smile.

The woman lifted her hand from her belly and it was only until then that Arturia noticed she was pregnant, "My name is Irisviel, it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. My husband is walking about right now so I do hope he can introduce himself soon."

"Irisviel," Scáthach cut in, "is a great friend of mine, she's the sweetest woman you will find in this village, right Jeanne?" She earned a nod from the French girl's part.

"Oh," Irisviel shook her head, "There's no need to flatter me." Her voice was light and smooth and Arturia found it so beautiful. If she was this bright, she wondered how her husband would be like, _He must obviously be as bright as her_.

A boy ran past them, a young ginger; he was giggling and being chased by none other than Diarmuid, "There goes Shirou… That boy is so energetic." Scáthach shook her head, earning a giggle from both Irisviel and Jeanne.

Arturia had only caught a glimpse of him but it was not long before he came running back into the kitchen, "Mommy, Dia's bothering me." He looked at least five years old, his hazel eyes almost closer to Diarmuid's irises if they weren't so dull in colour. The boy then clung to Irisviel, pulling her arm down slightly.

"You have to behave, sweetheart," she mumbled down at him, sweet voice remaining strong.

Diarmuid entered the kitchen not long after, out of breath slightly, "He's a runner." He breathed as he wiped his forehead, "Oh, hey there," he finally noticed Arturia and Jeanne, "How are you guys doing?" He asked, his gaze settling on Arturia aimlessly.

"Great," Jeanne smiled while Arturia agreed, "Why were you chasing Shirou?"

Diarmuid closed his eyes for a bit and shook his head, "He threw a cookie at me."

"Shirou!" His mother scolded, "Apologize to the young man right now."

"But Dia threw it back!" Shirou defended quickly, causing everyone to shoot their heads at Diarmuid who turned beet red in a matter of seconds.

"Is that true?" Scáthach asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Now it was Diarmuid's turn to defend himself, "That's because he threw three cookies at me!" Arturia chuckled because he had called his brother out on being childish when he was the one who truly was. The argument had continued with Scáthach scolding her younger brother a bit more and Shirou laughing all the way.

Arturia had met Irisviel's husband who was not what she expected from such a lovely woman. Kiritsugu, a Japanese man, was far from what she ever could have imagined; he was stoic, emotionless and shared the same habit as Cú—a smoker. He was rather emotionless and very blunt but he seemed to have a good heart somewhere deep down. She also met with the Duibhne's cousin; Fergus, a tall and buff man who had an odd sense of humour. There were some others such as Maiya and Kariya who worked at the school with Scáthach.

Over all, the party—or rather get together—went swimmingly, for Scáthach had only invited the people she liked and most of them were quite nice and welcoming with Arturia. It was late in the evening but Arturia had let Jeanne sleep over and she decided to go on ahead while the London-Born sat on the grass looking up at the sky after everyone had retired for the night.

She had been sitting for a few minutes before she heard a twig cracking behind her and she flipped her head, almost expecting a murderer to be creeping up on her, but the fear subsided at the sight of Diarmuid in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt—not intimidating in the least…well not in a bad way.

"Hey, I didn't mean to frighten you." He spoke as he reached her, a soft smile on his face.

She nodded slowly, "It's alright. What bring you out here?"

"I should be asking you that. I saw you out here alone from the house so I though maybe you'd like some company…" His voice wandered, "I mean, if you would like."

"That'd be nice," she smiled, "Sit." Arturia patted the patch of grass next to her and slowly let her gaze return to the stars above when she saw him sitting down, "It's nice out here." She mumbled lightly.

Diarmuid nodded in return and then lay down on the grass, "Yup, it's one thing I love about the country side."

The sky was splashed with stars, only occasional thin clouds hiding them for seconds. The moon was a crescent and rather small in the sky but it still brought light, along with the rest of the milky way. The breeze was quite cool but it was bearable. There was silence between them for a while and then Diarmuid spoke.

"So, what's the real reason you're here?"


	7. The One Thing Money Can't Buy

The crickets were the only ones making any noise as their singing floated about in the night sky. The dark sky covered them like a blanket and the cool breeze caused for a soft whispering to form from the growing grass. The glow of the moon shone through the cracks in Arturia's golden hair while her dress tried to dance with the wind a bit. Arturia extended her hands as to keep her dress in place and sighed, "I love nature," she stuck with her first story and she knew it was meaningless to do so because the boy was already unto her.

Diarmuid ran a pale hand through his wavy hair and let his eyes remain on the glittering stars before him, "I simply want to understand you. We all have secrets and problems, and we want to hide them, but it's not healthy that way. So, if you don't mind me asking again, why are you _really_ here?"

She sat up quickly and sighed, rubbing her face. She couldn't tell him, she simply couldn't. Never before had she admitted this constant struggle and now, only because she was miles away from it, it did not mean she would be able to pour her heart out. She took a deep breath and looked back at him, he was now half up, supporting his weight with his elbows while he looked at her, "Family, I guess."

The glow of the crescent moon was enough to light the expression on his face; curiosity and what seemed to be empathy. He lay back down on the grass after he shrugged and accepted the short answer, "Sometimes family does drive us mad."

Arturia chuckled softly and gave a nod, "Yes, and significant others as well." She hadn't directed it to him because she had gone through the pressure of a boyfriend already but he did take the comment for himself.

"Grainne can be a hassle sometimes, but she's a good person." He commented extending a hand up towards the sky as if trying to reach out for a star or something else in the distance.

"It was because of money." She gave in. She admitted she would regret telling him later, but right now she needed to breath and stop drowning herself. The wind howled and the grass was set alive with loud murmuring. She closed her eyes again, her hands clutching the floral dress in place, "My parents only cared about giving me everything money could buy… they were never home." The gate whined as it was rattled by the wind, "They were always off at work to make sure I had everything that I could ever want. But they never understood that happiness can't really be bought with money. Financial stability leaves you without stress—that's a given—and gives you luxury but…" Her words became quieter as she continued, uncertainty filling her, "loneliness doesn't. If I had a football game, father would be at work and mother at a nail appointment because the following day she would need to attend a wedding or something," Arturia shrugged, "Boyfriends? The wealth of my family limited my dating and my parents preferred a rich boy… My boyfriend treated me more like a possession or trophy rather than a human. _Everyone_ did." She fell back onto the grass with a thud and turned towards Diarmuid.

"I was just a prize to be won, a pretty face you left on the shelf to show off to everyone. I wasn't human. What can a mansion do for you if you're the only one there? What can a boyfriend do for you when he sees you as something to dominate because you give him a challenge? Why should you listen to parents that are absent? If they aren't there for you when you need help on that math question or when you fall and scrape your knee, they won't be there for you when that depression hits you like a tsunami and you lock yourself up in your room for days on end."

Diarmuid was dead silent but his amber eyes were trained on her, studying her cold expression as she spoke every single word, he could see the loneliness and the hollowness within her eyes. She needed support and most of all; love.

"What's the difference of leaving if you're living alone for your entire life either way? It's not as if they're spending time with you to miss you when you leave." Her face fell back to look up at the sky, she could finally see whatever Diarmuid had been reaching for; _hope_.

The crickets had been singing all throughout, the breeze blowing and they could even hear the animals shuffling in the barn. Diarmuid took his position back to leaning on his elbow and hovered over her, interrupting her view of the spotted sky, there was a soft smile on his lips—something Arturia had not seen for years.

"Would you like to go horseback riding with me tomorrow?" His eyes held sincerity and the bruise on his cheek was still there. She wanted to ask about it again but there had been enough depressing talk for the night, thus she cracked a smile in return, tying to subside the feeling of hopelessness in her heart.

"Is 'everyone's favourite eye candy' asking me out on a date?"

Diarmuid groaned and fell back onto the ground, "Not you too," he growled, "Whatever, if you don't want to go, I'm not forcing you."

Arturia laughed a bit, "Yeah, sure, let's go horseback riding later." She felt somewhat relieved, but the hole inside herself was still prominent and she knew it was going to take more months of forgetting to begin patching herself up. She wanted familial comfort but her family was not going to give it to her and she wasn't just going to be part of the Duibhne family out of the blue.

* * *

The house was silent in the mornings, as it usually was, but there was a cloud of melancholy that hung about, filling rooms with emptiness and confusion. On this particular Monday morning, the blonde sat in front of the vanity looking at the dark circles under her eyes, her knotted hair that resembled a hay stack and her lifeless green eyes. She sniffled and used the sleeve of the satin nightgown to wipe her nose. The make up in front of her gave her no motivation to fix herself up and her sorrow just kept her still.

Hands were placed on her shoulders, giving her an encouraging squeeze, "Darling, it's going to be alright." The woman stared at her husband through the mirror and then her shoulders began to shake again and she covered her face with her hands as her sobs shook her body violently.

"Our baby's gone… H-how could she do this to me?" The woman wept, "Everything we did for her, what did we ever do wrong, Uther?" The big room was not enough to fill the void she felt and she had finally understood why her daughter had felt so desperately about leaving that she did so without a word.

Uther wrapped his arms around his wife, holding her close to him so she wouldn't fall into insanity. The letter had brought them down to reality with a harsh crash and they had been a mess for the past week and a half that Arturia had disappeared.

The family did not tell anyone for fear of gossip and vile comments. Igraine was not taking the leave of her daughter lightly. In a few days, she had gone from prim and proper; hair styled and clothes of the finest brand to unkempt locks and the same nightgown for three days straight. She had lost her resolve and would often stay on her bed. The police had been contacted but there had been no sign of foul play, although they were still searching for her because of the fact that she was under-aged. The rumours were starting to spread after the fact that she had not shown up for an awards show in which she had won something.

"Sweetie, let's get ready. We should make the announcement soon." They had planned to finally publicise the absence of their daughter and it was going to be quite the shock that the daughter of a member of parliament was missing or rather had runaway.

Uther wiped the tears from the woman's eyes, kissing her cheeks lightly, "We'll find her, I know we will."

"After all we did for her Uther? She forgot about that and threw us away…" The tears ran down her cheeks again and she wrapped her husband in a tight hug, "Do you think we should let her go?"

The man was silent as he held his wife, rubbing circles on her back to calm down her sobbing, "We have to find her."

"But isn't this what she wants? To be free? She said she couldn't live this life, the life we carefully planned for her to be happy. She doesn't want us; we should just let her go…" A mother would never say that, Igraine knew, but she finally understood the loneliness her daughter lived through daily and it was best for Arturia to find herself somewhere else; where rules and restrictions didn't hold her back.

Uther helped the blonde stand, leading her to the bathroom where she could take a shower and prepare for the publication of their missing daughter. After letting the warm water soothe her nerves, Igraine stepped out into the steamed washroom. She wrapped the towel tightly around her pale torso and exited to find something she could wear.

After their maid had helped her look presentable, Igraine was lead to the car where Uther would drive them both to the radio station.

* * *

Grainne sat patiently on the train; after Diarmuid had left her in London, she still had made the most of it and decided to return by train. She was scrolling through her cellphone as the train began to move in the early London morning. The music on the train was interrupted by an announcement but the young girl paid no heed to it, instead looked over the messages she had gotten from Diarmuid. He had greeted her in the morning, sent her his love in the afternoon and bid her sweet dreams at night.

She had been awfully upset and was even ignoring him, but there was an obvious intent to make up with him when she arrived back in the small village. Her thumb slid across the touch screen and she proceeded to reading whatever she deemed entertaining. It was about late afternoon when she arrived back in the village, and the train soon slowed down to a halt but that went without throwing her towards the passenger before her.

"Are you alright, miss?" A violet haired young man helped her to steady on her feet again.

She was surprised at first, "Uhm, yes, yes," She gave him a sweet smile, "I apologize for that."

"It is quite alright," he gave a nod, standing upon the stop of the train.

Grainne had caught a glimpse of the crumpled up newspaper in his strong hand and the title surprised her greatly, causing her to almost stiffen in shock.

"Will you be getting off at this stop as well, miss?" The long haired man blinked at her, his grey jacket crinkling with his movement to pick up the carry-on.

Grainne shook her head, looking back at the red seat to make sure she had not left anything behind. She checked her pocket for her phone and then gave a nod, "Yes, this is my stop as well." She gathered her things and hurried to step outside.

Her red shoes touched the stone floor and she let her gaze run over the wooden cabin of the Train station. She blinked, half excited to be back home but for her, the city meant freedom; not this wasteland of rolling fields and lonely roads that could only make you a teacher or farmer.

The train flew past her, blowing her hair in all directions while she tried to keep her dress in place. The article still vivid in her mind as she could read it over and over again, but then something else occurred to her, the Violet haired man was new in town.

' _Daughter of a Pendragon: Missing_ '


	8. Rainy Days

Jeanne had left for school along with Diarmuid early that morning and since Arturia had worked the Sunday afternoon shift, she was off for the mid-afternoon one. It was around four when she heard a knock on the cabin door. She had arrived home from work only an hour prior to and she was still in her uniform. Arturia pulled the green shirt down a little because it was riding up a bit on the back. She fixed her hair, patting the stray strands down as she quickly walked towards the door.

A smile found its way to her lips, bringing a beautiful glow to her face. The tall boy before her had seemed so handsome the night before, under the stars with the moonlight kissing his features so sweetly. His honey eyes had glittered along with the stars and now she felt her heart swell a bit at the sight of the sun turning the ends of his wavy black locks a bit golden—if you watched him from the strenuous angle the girl was at—and a black t-shirt which fit him father well.

"Hey." She was really trying her best not to stare at him too much; but his eyes were still one of a kind.

"Hey," he replied in a bright tone, smiling down at her, "You ready?"

She gave a light chuckle and shook her head, her hair swaying in the movement, "Let me just quickly get changed." He gave her a nod and she opened the door for him to enter. He waited by the couch until she returned, dressed in something much more comfortable.

The late summer afternoon was as usual as any other, it was surprising that it ad not rained in the past few days—this was England after all.

They were able to make it to the stables with little to no talk and then silently stood before some horses.

"Well," Diarmuid broke the silence, a horse before him replying with a neigh, "Have you ever ridden a horse before?" He turned to her, furrowing his brows and giving her a look of confusion; the thought had yet to cross his mind until the given moment.

Arturia chuckled at how afraid he seemed, he simply wasn't prepared to teach, "Yes, I know a bit to get me by, I'm no pro, though."

She could see the relief flash over his facial features and then he turned his body towards a grey horse, "Let's get these beauties ready then." With that, they were able to saddle the horses and get them prepared for the ride.

Arturia had chosen a snow white mare that seemed sweet enough to let her ride. Diarmuid had said her name was Aithusa and she was a wonder to be around.

Aithusa was quite calm when the young lady mounted her and she was already hitting it off with her upon the first trots into the rolling English fields. The skies were blue and bright, a few thin clouds scattered every now and then again and it looked like a rather nice day.

They spoke about what he was doing in school and how her day had gone, but there was nothing they could really talk about.

"You know, Grainne isn't as bad as you think," Diarmuid sighed, "everyone thinks that she's hiding something and she can't be a perfect girl; she's not perfect but she isn't hiding anything. She's a flat surface and there aren't three angles to her—just one."

Arturia was truly taken aback by the sudden comment of the male next to her, her eyes widened and she furrowed her brows, "I…"

"She likes you," Diarmuid commented, "She told me you seem like someone she could become friends with."

"Are you asking me to be friends with her?" Her horse trotted onwards, side by side Diarmuid and the gentle breeze grazed her face, making her smile a bit. The smell of the trees and grass was so refreshing and she felt safe from all that city smog and loud noises of London.

Diarmuid chuckled a bit, "She doesn't have much friends, she's a bit anti-social."

Arturia lifted a brow and blinked, "Really? She seemed quite outgoing when I spoke with her first."

There was silence again and then Diarmuid decided to answer Arturia, "Ever since we started dating, she sort of lost her friends. She never explains why to me, only that she likes to spend time with me."

They were well into their ride now, quite deep into the rolling fields. The sky had always been turning shades darker but it wasn't until the fact that Arturia felt a small drop of water on her face that she noticed it was the clouds that made the sky darker and not the setting sun. There were thick clouds above, dark grey in colour and looking more like still waves. They looked quite scary and Arturia was slightly concerned. Never before had she ridden a horse in a storm, and she was afraid of how Aithusa would react.

The pitter-patter grew with every second and there was a loud roar of thunder that shook the skies. Lightening striking down to smite whatever the heaven's decided had wronged them. Arturia felt the horse below her become tense with the sound and she immediately looked over at Diarmuid, who had begun rounding his own horse in the direction of his barn.

"We gotta hurry back," he called, rain building a crescendo from soft and slow droplets to muscle aching water whips. They hurried faster now, the horses galloping as fast as they could, but the rain was stronger still. It was pouring down and since they were a few fields over it took them a long time to even reach the Duibhne property to begin with. Hoofs lifted up mud and grass with every step, rain washing their hair, trying to keep them clean.

The loud rainfall only grew as they came within sight of the barn, the wind slapping the trees together and the rolling thunder scaring Aithusa even further. It was by miracle that the horse had not dismounted Arturia before they reached the barn. The blonde had had to pull on the reins of the horse so she would stop before charging through the barn door and destroying it.

Diarmuid leapt from his horse, quickly jogging over to the wooden doors and opening them, allowing Aithusa to charge into the warm shelter of the stables and Diarmuid's horse following close behind.

Aithusa was still very anxious and Arturia couldn't dismount her without the help of Diarmuid.

"It's alright, you'll be alright." Diarmuid hushed over at the mare as he stroked her head whilst Arturia dismounted her, "This too shall come to pass."

Arturia looked at the man as he spoke the words, she could feel the love and care in them. The horse visibly eased under his sweet touch and for a second Arturia felt calm as well, as if the man was talking to her and not the anxious horse. (Well, one could argue because she too was an anxious horse).

"We're soaking wet, we should head back," Diarmuid's voice was soft and could have been drowned out by the loud rain crashing on the metal roof, creating high pitched patters—yet for some odd reason, his voice drowned the rain out for the young lady, "Arturia, are you alright?"

Arturia snapped out of her trance and blinked at the man, trying to blink away the engraved image of his sparkling eyes under the stars, "Uhm, yes, I am." She shook her head.

Diarmuid furrowed his brows and pouted his lips, "You say you're alright as you shake your head?"

"Ah," Arturia's cheeks began to burn a bit, _I'm an idiot_ , "I… I am fine, just trying to, uh, shake off the water?"

"Riight," Diarmuid lifted his eyebrows and moved his lips to one side, "Totally convincing." He gave a short sardonic smile and then followed it with a chuckle, "Let's pretend you aren't a compulsive liar."

Arturia's eyes grew and she blinked at him, admittedly shocked, "I am not a liar."

The young man burst into laughter as he landed a hand on her wet hair and ruffled it, his touch was warm and gentle, even as the water dripped from her hair unto himself, "I'm teasing you," his voice was full of joy as he was clearly teasing her.

Arturia pouted, crossing her arms over her chest, "You're mean," she mumbled, not once making an effort to move his hand off of her head.

Someone cleared their throat and Diarmuid immediately retrieved his hand from atop her head with slight panic on his face—almost as if he had placed his hand on the burning stove top, "Scatty," he breathed, almost relieved when he came across the maroon eyes of his older sister.

Scáthach lifted an eyebrow, a suggestive smirk on her face and she gave them a wink, a black umbrella opened above her while the rain poured in the backdrop, "Well, sorry to interrupt your lover's escapade." She grinned, causing both the teenagers before her to give her wide eyes and rosy cheeks, "But," she leaned on the open barn door frame, "A certain bird," _or rather vulture,_ even as she thought it, her smile did not waver,"calls. Ms. Perfect is waiting for her 'man' at my door."

"Grainne's back?" Diarmuid asked as he left Arturia standing near the stables and approached his sister.

The red head let out a stifled giggle, "And dripping wet nonetheless. She said the rain caught her on her way up the hill. She was outright shrieking and you could hear her through the rain from the fireplace… the poor thing slipped on her way up." Even as she spoke of sympathy she was truly trying to supress the chuckles that were at the pit of her diaphragm.

"Oh my gosh, is she okay?" Diarmuid didn't think about the enjoyment in Scáthach's voice because he felt something churn at the pit of his stomach.

"Yeah," Scathach shrugged, "she just sprained her ankle, nothing major."

"What?" He was surprised and there was anxiousness in his voice—his behaviour reminding Arturia of the nervous mare.

"I can't even crack a joke…" The woman rolled her eyes, "She's fine, she didn't even scrape her knee, okay?"

"Thank God," he croaked as he brought a hand to his chest, as if settling his beating heart, "I'm going ahead."

Arturia felt quite upset because they—mostly Diarmuid—were ignoring her and she had to hold back the urge of making a comment; it wasn't as if she was part of their lives, really.

Diarmuid had gone ahead, not taking the umbrella offered to him by his older sister. He went straight home without a second thought.

Arturia, on the other hand, took the offer of sharing the umbrella with Scáthach. The rain had not slowed down at all, it was still strong and so was the wind; threatening to break their umbrella with a strong gust every now and again.

"It's horrible, isn't it?" Arturia commented right as they entered the gate leading to the yellow house.

"Ugh, I know. Grainne always barges in as if she owns the place, it's rather frustrating, irksome, annoying—"

Arturia had decided to interrupt the other lady, "I was talking about the weather…"

"Ahaha, yeah, I knew that," Scáthach laughed, the embarrassment evident in the giggles, "Well, I'd like to apologize for my behaviour on Saturday night, I am sure you were uncomfortable with the fight I had with my brother."

They had reached the door now, and Arturia smiled at her as the Irish woman opened the door, closing the umbrella and leaving it on the doorstep, "It's alright," Arturia had excused the woman for the bitter attitude.

There was a thin silence.

"Yes, and your sister was laughing at me." Scáthach rolled her eyes at the voice of Grainne, "Babe, I'm fine, really, it was a bit funny when a tripped. Even if Scatty"—the woman was not fond of the younger brunette calling her that— "is a bit mean, she lent me some clothes and offered me a warm shower. You know, I really like her. We don't get along well, but she's sweet deep down."

Scáthach grunted quietly, "God, she never shuts up." It was quiet enough to go unheard by the thunder that boomed and filled the house, but for some odd reason it was as clear as day to Arturia's ears.

Arturia opened her mouth and prepared to hush her undying question over, "Why do you—"

"Scatty, Arturia!" The blonde Englishwoman was interrupted by the cheery and chirpy voice of the Irish brunette, a sweet smile on her lips as her wavy hair was damp still.

Scáthach forced a smile as Diarmuid entered the foyer, "Grainne,"

"Artie," It seemed as if the girl was fond of nicknames, "you came over?" She had taken note of Arturia soaked to the bone just as Diarmuid had been, but she knew better than to ask or comment.

Arturia gave a slow nod but it was Scáthach that answered for her, "It's pouring and the barn's closer to the house than the cabin. I don't want our sweet tulip to get sick." The woman landed a hand on Arturia's head—the habit seemed to run in the family, now only Cu was left (not that Arturia wanted him to pat her on the head).

"Tulip?" Arturia mumbled as she blinked, her eyes on the ground just as she felt her cheeks burn a bit.

"Hurry and take a shower," The woman pushed her lightly in the direction of the stairs, "I'll find you some clothes to wear, let's head upstairs. In the meantime, Dia, take a shower."

Arturia caught a glimpse of Diarmuid's pout but before he could say anything, Scáthach and Arturia were already halfway up the stairs.

* * *

The steam in the bathroom was calming to her, her skin recapturing warmth while she glided the towel over herself to clear off the water beads that lingered on her pale skin. She closed her eyes a bit, facing the foggy mirror and hugging the green towel closer to herself. She changed into a pair of sweatpants that Scáthach had lent her and a rather baggy t-shirt (But Arturia figured the shirt was only big due to the fact that Scáthach was well-developed in the chest compartment and the blonde was not).

Arturia slowly made her way to the top of the stairs, turning off the light in the bathroom and letting the hallway fill with the evening darkness. She adjusted her eyes to the darkness after pulling her hair into a ponytail. She took a step onto the cold hardwood stairs until she heard chatter from the living room. It wasn't as if she was eavesdropping—she wouldn't be doing that. It was just that on her way up she heard the stairs groan and she did not want to interrupt the conversation she heard.

"So, I was on the train today," Grainne seemed to be pondering a little before continuing, "And this guy in front of me—"

"You realized you changed your mind on my brother?" Scáthach barked back.

"Ha ha," the young girl growled, "As I was saying, the guy in front of me was holding a newspaper and I found out that the Pendragons'"—Arturia stiffened at the name, cringing at the words that followed out of the young girl's mouth, "daughter went missing."

Arturia gulped as she drowned out the conversation that the two females were having in the living room. There was a ringing that filled her ears and her vision was becoming hazy. She felt a sour taste in her mouth as her stomach twisted and she felt her breath shorten.

A hand on her shoulder caused her to yelp and slip forwards, miss-stepping on a step and loosing her balance. Her heart stopped and she closed her eyes shut, prepared to go tumbling down the steps, but something held her back—a strong grip on her upper arm.

Steading on the groaning stairs again, she let out a breath she forgot she was holding and soon the footsteps of the two females approached in worry.

"What happened?" Scáthach gasped from the bottom of the steps, her maroon eyes wide and freight written all over her face. Grainne soon joined, her eyes wide initially but soon narrowed—or was that just Arturia's imagination.

"I-I…" Arturia couldn't formulate words as her heart was hammering in her chest and she still felt the grip steading her.

A voice came from behind her, that of the one who kept her still, "It was my fault, I scared her."

Scáthach rested a hand on her chest, taking a deep breath, "You alright, Arturia?"

Arturia slowly nodded, mixed feelings about Diarmuid nearly scaring her to death. In part, she wanted to hit him because he almost caused her either death or a concussion, and the other part made her want to thank him for saving her life and blush wildly—but she did neither.

She slowly—agonizingly slow in Grainne's eyes—and gently shook Diarmuid's grip off and descended the stairs after her heart and breathing had settled.

"Uhm, where'd you get that shirt, Artie?" Grainne furrowed her brows, suppressing the bug in her head that told her to scold the blonde. She couldn't help but get jealous, there were one too many reasons to keep her from speculating that something was happening.

_Reason 1: Diarmuid had gone on and on about how the new girl moved in and was so secretive. (Not that Grainne had minded at first)_

_Reason 2: Diarmuid had plain out left her in London to fend for herself._

_Reason 3: While she was away Diarmuid and Arturia obviously spent time together—hence returning soaked to the bone together._

_Reason 4: Arturia was wearing a shirt that Grainne herself had gifted Diarmuid to match one of her own._

_Reason 5: That_ _**agonizingly** _ _slow motion to shake him off._

"This shirt?" Arturia looked down at the odd design on it, it seamed like some sort of red seal on a black baggy t-shirt; it certainly did not seem important, "Scáthach lent it to me."

Upon hearing her name, the physical education teacher joined the conversation, "What about me?"

"Why'd you have Diarmuid's shirt?" Arturia still couldn't catch the jealousy in Grainne's voice but Scáthach certainly had.

"Because I can steal my brother's clothing when I want." It was certainly passive aggressive, and Arturia began to feel the tension growing between them. She bit her lower lip as she slowed her step so that the two bickering female could go ahead and she wouldn't be caught in the fight.

Diarmuid huffed next to her, "They always do this," he groaned, closing his eyes a bit.

She looked at him, she could see some sort of annoyance he tried to mask behind the peaceful look on his features, "Thank you," She managed to mumble, "for helping me out back there."

He had opened his amber eyes already, and cracked a smile, "Yeah, sorry for scaring you."

Arturia returned the warm gesture, "It's okay."

He stopped at the entrance of the living room, glancing at her momentarily, "Did you…know the Pendragons?"


	9. Don't Hold it all In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Author's Note~
> 
> I have had an idea to post little quotes in the begiining of each chapter because I'm cringy like that haha
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> ~Ms. AtomicBomb  
> \------------------------------------------------  
> "It's time to let it all go, go out and start again  
> It's not that easy..."
> 
> ~High Hopes; Kodaline

" _Do you… Know the Pendragons?"_ That damn question was haunting her for a while now. She was seated on her couch, watching the fire in the fireplace flicker along with her heart beat. The sweet smell of burnt wood and the crackling it made was calming her, but it wasn't enough to supress her wild heart beat. She watched the burning logs in a trance, her mother's voice lurking in her mind. She was _afraid_ ; her parents had actually gone out of their way to publicise her absence. Had they truly cared? Had she made a mistake?

She leaned her head back and watched the ceiling, filling her lungs with deep smoky firewood breaths. She licked her lips, recalling how she had reacted.

" _Uh, what?" She blinked, her eyes wide, her breath caught in her throat._

" _Well, you seemed surprised to learn that their daughter went missing. Did you know her?"_

_Arturia shook her head furiously, "That's ridiculous, what makes you think that?"_

_Diarmuid pursed his lips together, taking in the icy tone of the short female next to him, "You don't need to get too cold. I was simply asking. From what you told me, your family has a high position in whatever and why else would you be so surprised to hear what Grainne had to say that you were frozen?"_

_The blonde regretted having sounded so defensive, "Sorry, it's just upsetting to hear that people are missing their child and they don't know where they are. Who knows what could have happened to her."_ Hypocrite _, she scolded herself._

The rain had stopped a few minutes ago and the knock on her door had surprised her greatly. With a loud sigh, she pushed herself off the couch and slid her feet towards the door. She wasn't up for talking with anyone, especially not Diarmuid. To her surprise—and dismay—it was not Diarmuid, rather his Girlfriend; Grainne.

"Hey." The brunette gave a small wave of her pale hand. She offered up a warm smile, forgiveness in her chocolate eyes.

"Uhm, hi?" Arturia blinked. It was late, what on earth was this girl doing at her doorstep? Not that it would be any different if it were Diarmuid that was standing before her.

Grainne swung on the balls of her feet gently, "Can…I come in?" She mumbled, not making direct eye contact with the blonde female.

Arturia rubbed the back of her neck and took a deep breath. It was a cold night, the clouds were still thick and well above them; a possibility of rain lingering in the evening air. It was muddy outside and the drop in degrees caused by the storm wasn't helping her conscious, "Of course." Stepping aside, she allowed the young girl into her cabin.

Grainne stood in silence, analyzing her surroundings carefully, as if she were going to buy the house or something. Her eyes caught sight of the fireplace and then lingered there for a while, "Thank you."

"Would you like to sit?" Arturia broke the odd silence that was filling the room, the curious stare of the younger girl snapping from the warmth of the flame and unto the fiery green eyes of Arturia.

"Thank you," Grainne gave a slow nod and made her way to the couch, her gaze falling back to the intoxicating dancing of the flames. She rubbed her thighs as if trying to warm herself up.

Silence bubbled up once more, keeping control for a while until Arturia stood from the couch with a sigh, "Would you like some tea?" She asked, tilting her head slightly while her right foot had taken a step towards the kitchen.

"Thank you."

_Is that all she says?_ The blonde wasn't annoyed, per say, but she wanted the other to continue in a conversation—or at least talk about what she came to say.

Grainne sat patiently, gathering her courage and whatever strength she could muster. Why, you ask, has Grainne come over to talk with Arturia? It was simple in the brunette's eyes. She was tired of paranoid thought running through her head, her distrust in Diarmuid and more particularly—her attitude towards the new girl in town.

"Here," Arturia handed the brunette a blue mug, taking a better grip of her own as she sat next to Grainne, eyes trained on the fire as well.

Grainne tightened her grip around the burning tea mug, her brown eyes dropping down to the fruity goodness in her hands. The smell of citrus and berries floated in a cloud around them both as Grainne took a deep breath of it to prepare herself. The warmth of the mug radiated to her hands and kept her calmer.

"May I ask you something important?" The brunette did not let her gaze so much as leave the tea.

"Go right ahead." Arturia replied, keeping herself as neutral as always.

Another deep breath—one Arturia could hear, "Do you have feelings for Diarmuid?"

The question caught Arturia off guard. Her eyes immediately left the fireplace and stared in confusion at the female seated on the couch next to her, "What?"

"I know, this sounds ridiculous," Grainne sighed, "I sound paranoid and stupid and crazy"—she kept on talking without so much as another breath— "and it's dumb to think that. I mean, you just got here; how could you like Dia?" After speaking she set the tea on the coffee table before her and proceeded to rub her face, acknowledging the warmth that her hands acquired from their time with the mug, "I had lots of friends before. Hard to believe—I know. But, uh… You see, they…" She was at a loss of words.

"They?"

"They were jealous that Dia was my boyfriend and they found ways to break us up. I swore I would never leave my friends for a guy, but… but Dia… I never left them for Dia, they left me. I'm not full of myself, I swear." The girl just rested her head on her hands, "We've been together for three years and we've done a lot together, we've been through a lot. I trust him, I do. It's just that… All the girls before, he didn't even glance at them but with you… he just—he seems brighter. I don't know; I probably sound psycho."

Arturia had clearly not expected to have someone pour her heart out. _What do I do?_ There was but one thing to do, explain.

"Diarmuid is just my friend… I know, there's a little bug in all of our ears and it's only natural to be cautious of new comers."

Grainne groaned, "I mean, you're so different. You're silent, subtle, brave. You're—perfect! I don't understand why you came out to the country. I mean, the city has it all for you; you're free out there… but here…ugh.

"It's a wasteland out here. _It is_. You live here and all you're ever going to do is be a farmer or be a teacher; like Scáthach. Then a rumour explodes and you're done; the life you worked so _hard_ for is over. You're rotting away in this small town where everyone knows _everything_ about you and you can't escape it. But the city. _The city_ ; London," she gasped at the word, as if it were holy, "It's huge. You get—you can get lost out there and you'll be free. _Forever_. Only some people know who you are and no one cares what you do."

Arturia blinked, "Grainne, we all have our secrets; the ones we tell, the ones we keep for our friends and the ones we bottle up to ourselves." She landed a hand on Grainne's back as so to comfort her, "You see the countryside as a prison but to me, it's freedom. We've lived different circumstances which have made us think in different perspectives."

Grainne gave a slight nod, somewhat taking in the comment but not exactly thinking about it too much, "Sorry to have bothered you, I was quite petty, I'm sorry." She stood, completely ignoring the drink she had set down on the coffee table a few minutes prior, "Well, it was truly nice talking with you and understanding you without my biases."

Arturia blinked, tilting her head ever so slightly and knitting her brows with confusion, "You're leaving already?"

"I should not have stopped by in the first place…" The younger of the two pushed her hair behind her ear, "Sorry to have caused you trouble."

"You did nothing—" There was another knock on the door that interrupted the blonde.

She stood, excusing herself to proceed and open it. Grainne stood in the living room, afraid that Diarmuid had come to visit Arturia at such a late hour.

Arturia pulled the door open, not giving herself time to think about who it could have been that was waiting on the other side of the door. It took her by surprise, more so than the storm. She stumbled back a bit, her grip tightening around the door knob, her heart clenching and almost stopping entirely, "What," she breathed, hoping to catch her breath, "What are…" She gathered her thoughts and did not even finish her sentence before shutting the door close.

"Who was it?" Grainne had already guessed it wasn't her boyfriend, but rather someone entirely different.

Arturia had gone from being completely calm to something between anxious and angry. Grainne could see it clear in her face; the worry in her eyes, the wrinkles forming between her brows in anger, her mouth slightly parted—it was so clear she was upset out of her wits.

"Who was that?" Grainne spoke again, hoping Arturia would answer.

"Arturia." The voice on the other side of the door was strong but a bit familiar to Grainne, gentle and very posh, "You can't be running away from me forever."

Both Arturia and Grainne kept silent, no one spoke a single word for a while, "Fine, you're not ready to talk right now. But I'm not leaving until we talk, I hope you know that."

Arturia had not been free for a single month. It had been two weeks since her move and clearly she had not gone far away. The idea of America had always seemed tempting either way, she would have been better off if she had gotten on a plane instead of a train.

"Who was that?" Grainne was certain that the man had left, it had been a few minutes now.

Arturia groaned and rubbed her face, "How did he find me?"

"Were you running away from him?" Grainne tilted her head, a bit afraid now, "Is he a stalker? Did he hurt you?"

The blonde shook her head rapidly, "No, I just wanted to leave him behind as well. But it seems Lancelot has his own thoughts."


	10. Left it all Behind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Looking at you makes it harder...But I want you to move on, because I'm already gone."
> 
> ~Already Gone, Sleeping at Last

The following morning, Arturia was up and about her house. She had taken note of the very foggy English hills but shrugged it off as she prepared for the day. She had a ten hour shift that day which was to start in an hour. She was already dressed, full and definitely prepared for work. Her hair easily pulled back in a pony tail and her lips pursed in their signature straight line.

She took a deep breath, knowing very well she had not slept well the previous evening; not with Lancelot's sudden appearance. She had had a lot of time to curl up on her bed and think her life over and over again.

She pulled the door open, hurrying over to her motorbike and not failing to notice the sweet smell of fresh rain and the very muddy floor.

She frowned at her—now dirty—black shoes and looked up, the fog making it very hard for her to see anything a few meters ahead, but definitely not thick enough to block the sound of an engine and car tires crunching gravel.

It was when the car was a few feet in front of her that she saw more than just the head lights, the person in the driver's seat slowly rolled the car to a halt, "Need a lift?" The smile of Diarmuid caused shivers to run down her spine.

Diarmuid had obviously rushed out of the house, his hair was damp and tossed—and yes, he did look very handsome in his uniform as well, "Pretty sure you want to preserve your work uniform."

Arturia thanked him as she entered the car, slamming the door shut after herself and gave him another thank you as he began to drive off.

"Sorry the ride was cut short; I didn't know it was going to rain." Diarmuid apologized, as the car rode through the heavy mist.

She shrugged, "It is not your fault."

The male gave a light nod, pulling up his right sleeve to scratch his arm, his hand still on the gear shift though, "Maybe we should check the weather next time."

Arturia caught unto two separate things; a mark on his right arm, as if he had hit himself or been hit. It was a light purple bruise, if one had not been keen to pay attention then one would have easily missed it. The second detail she caught about him was a much clearer one, "Next time?" She echoed.

Diarmuid let out a short chuckle, "Yeah, unless I got you scared of horses."

"No!" Arturia quickly replied, "No…" Her voice calmed, "I'm not scared of horses, never."

"Cool." He took his eyes off the road for a second to shoot her a smile.

Arturia looked about the standard car, taking in the black leather seats and the smell of fresh pine, "Why isn't Scáthach with you?"

"Oh, I take the car in the mornings, my brother takes her to school a little earlier and then she drives us home."

It wasn't long after they finished their conversation that he rolled up to the gas station.

"Thank you once again," She spoke as she prepared to exit the car and face the white blur ahead of her.

Diarmuid turned to her, "Have fun at work!" He waved and just as her foot took a step out of the car he extended a hand to hold her back, "Hey, um," he bit his lip as she turned to see him.

Arturia never really thought about these things, honestly. Her boyfriend— _ex-boyfriend,_ she interrupted herself—was strictly business and her eyes had never once landed on his lips the way they did on Diarmuid's. _What the hell Arturia he has a girlfriend?_ "Yes?" She gulped, already feeling guilty because she had promised Grainne that nothing was happening between them. _Well, to be fair_ , _nothing_ is _happening between us…_ Nothing yet.

He diverted his gaze from her, even if his hand remained gently on her wrist, "Grainne was a little upset with me yesterday because of the whole shirt ordeal, is it alright if you could give it back."

"A-Yes!" Arturia nodded, forcing her eyes to not stare at him, "I'll give it to you as soon as I get it all cleaned up."

"Thanks," He gave her a smile and she swore his eyes twinkled the way they did under the stars.

She waved at him as he had slipped his grip off of her and driven off, disappearing into the fog as if he had never once existed.

Arturia had needed to stop thinking about Diarmuid under the stars. Sure, he looked divine or heaven sent but she needed to stop with this nonsense, he had a girlfriend for goodness' sake!

"Who's the pretty boy?"

Arturia gasped, almost screaming. But with every passing millisecond, she understood it was Lancelot, "What are you doing here?" She did not even turn to look at him as she walked towards the gas station, "You nearly killed me."

"So, his name?" The boy was quick to follow after her.

Arturia took a deep breath, trying to prove she wasn't shocked to see him again, "I have to work now."

"I know." He said.

Arturia finally glanced at him, his grey eyes simply staring at her, "So you've been stalking me?" She asked, tilting her head and narrowing her green eyes.

"Well," he pursed his lips, "That's what best friends do. They stalk each other when one goes missing."

Arturia tuned back towards the store and entered, not paying anymore attention to Lancelot.

Lancelot had not given up though, and since the mornings were always agonizingly slow for the gas pump, Arturia had given into making conversation with her best friend from London, "How did you find me?"

"Not that hard," Lancelot shrugged, "I went through the history on my computer. If you really wanted to be left alone you would have searched from a library computer, not gone with your mother's maiden name and changed your password away from 'IhateGil77'."

Arturia rolled her eyes, "Well, you are a stalker."

The purple haired man smiled, as if it were something he was proud of, "I found you. Now, first things first; who's the pretty boy?"

Arturia sighed, "I thought you came to take me home, Lance."

Lancelot nodded, "Of course I did, but who's Mister Pretty Face?"

"His name is Diarmuid."

The male threw her a suggestive smirk, "And so soon after leaving Gil heart broken you find yourself a new man."

"I did not," Arturia huffed, "Diarmuid has a girlfriend."

"Good, because _you_ have a boyfriend." Lancelot blinked, his previous lighter attitude turning bitter, "You know, you're reckless, stupid and out of your mind."

It was a very good thing that Jacques had left the store earlier that morning because the loud sound of a slap resonated in the store.

"You have no right to talk to me like that, Lancelot," she hissed.

Lancelot stood still, moving his jaw to let the pain fade away from his cheek, "Do you have any idea what your parents are going through? You mother is a mess, and your father; he is trying his best to keep Igraine in check and very much prepared to cancel his Prime Minister campaign to find you."

"No one told them to do that for me," she was blunt, very blunt.

Lancelot clenched his jaw, "You are actually out of your mind. Your family is in peril and Gilgamesh is quite literally heart broken. He, of all people, is looking for you. No matter how much you hate him, he likes you and if he's in love, I wouldn't be surprised. How many men will actually look for you after your father stops his election campaign and your mother has a mental breakdown?"

Arturia looked away, not facing her best friend, "You, you want me to feel guilty? I'm not going home, if that's what you want!"

"You're going to live here forever? Wake up, it's only a matter of time until your face makes it onto the news and lights this town on fire. You can't hide who you are forever, Arturia Pendragon. Your past will come back to haunt you and once everyone," he signalled his finger in a circular motion, "in this _little_ town finds out who you really are; they will not think twice to stab you in the gut. That pretty boy, he will not even blink as he passes you by. You can't lie to everyone."

"I'm not looking for approval from anyone, especially you. I though you were supposed to support me because you know, you are my best friend after all."

"My friend, is the true Arturia Pendragon and not this Arturia Gorlois."

Something deep in Arturia's chest ached and she looked away, "So, you don't want to be my friend because I'm finally happy?"

When she looked back up at him, he could see the pain in her eyes as they were glossed over. The store was silent for a long while until she finally spoke, "I left them a letter, I told them I couldn't live that way. They don't need to be after me." She sounded solemn, sad even.

"Then call them." Lancelot tried his best to coax her, his voice nearly a lullaby.

"No. I left that life behind, I left everything back there—everything. And Gil," She hissed his name almost as if it were venom, "He was no right to be looking for me when he," her voice was loud and strong with anger, "allowed that filthy man to—" She stopped herself immediately, biting her tongue.

Lancelot furrowed his brows, "To what? Who did Gil allow to do what?" He took a step closer towards her and Arturia jumped back.

"Nothing." She was quick to answer, and harshly at that.

"What did Gil do?"

"Nothing." She wasn't budging, and Lancelot sighed in exasperation over her cold attitude.

"Is…" he pondered, "that why you left? Because of what Gil did? Did he hurt you?"

Arturia was looking down at the tile floor that had been muddied by their foot prints. It was afternoon now and she knew people would flood in for lunch hour, "No. He didn't, it wasn't him."

"Then who did? Someone must have."

"No one." Arturia replied, her eyes still trained ahead of her until the small bell of the store rang, snapping them out of their conversation.

Blue hair in all it's glory, the man stalked in, his curious gaze on the man before Arturia, "Is… he bothering you?" He asked.

Arturia shook her head, "No, this is Lancelot. He's a friend of mine from London."

"Oh," Cu assumed the tears in her eyes were not of anger or sadness, "Big reunion." He gave an understanding nod, "I get those sometimes."

After the Irishman had left, Arturia gave the key to her cabin to Lancelot and told him to wait there where they would talk a bit more and she had obviously gone back to work.

* * *

"Grainne," Jeanne had been quick to start a conversation once she had changed out of her school uniform and into her work clothes, "said she saw a handsome boy with violet hair get off at the stop around here, do you think he's also new to town?"

Arturia blinked, "What?"

"Well," the Frenchwoman crossed her arms over her chest and leaned on the counter as Arturia mopped the floor after rush hour, "do you think there's a new boy in town?"

"No. He's just here for a week or two."

Jeanne frowned, "How are you so sure?"

"Uhm," Arturia coughed, "not many people move to this town." She shrugged, no one needed to know that Lancelot knew her. No one other than Cu, who had already found out much too early.

Her friend gave a prompt shrug, leaning forward unto the counter a bit more, "I heard from Grainne that the Pendragon's lost their daughter, do you think that she was kidnapped?"


	11. An English Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Thread by thread I come apart. If brokenness is a work of art, surely this must be my masterpiece." Neptune, Sleeping at Last.

_Kidnapped,_ why had everyone been thinking that the Pendragon's daughter got kidnapped and not just left home voluntarily?

The anxiety she felt was overwhelming her; her fingertips were tingly and she couldn't even walk up the hill without feeling lightheaded. She could feel an odd sensation in her chest as her stomach was unsettled. Her mouth felt numb despite the fact that the saliva was building up even if she gulped.

It was a good thing that Diarmuid dropped her off in the morning and Jeanne was working late so she had time to formulate and organize her thoughts as she climbed up the dark hill that led to her cabin.

The fog had dissipated by the evening but there were still thick clouds in the sky and an undeniable chilly breeze floating about, nipping at her nose and knuckles.

She lowered her head into her scarf and sniffled so as to keep herself warm and omit illness. She thought about what Lancelot had said—in fact, she had been thinking about it all day long, it just wouldn't leave her alone.

The thought of her mother in tears made a wave of guilt wash over her more than anything else she had heard. There was a time that Arturia and her mother were close, before her father began to glide to the top of the Conservative party, before they became full public figures, before her mother had to always attend formal events and way before there were expectations and rules pushed upon Arturia herself.

She stared at her door, taking some deep breaths to prepare herself. Lancelot was usually very passive and stoic, but his new found courage and fervour against her was astonishing. She was proud that he was becoming self spoken and more confident in going against her—he never said a thing against her before. Ever.

Then again, since he had never before gone against her, it frightened her more. What if he convinced her that she was at fault? What if he coaxed her to return?

The front door swung open, a glare in the violet haired male's eyes, "How long are you going to wait out here for?" He asked, "I've been waiting for you to come in for like five minutes. Are you deliberately trying to freeze out here?"

She opened her mouth. "Ah, I'm sorry. I was thinking about something else."

"Hurry in then, wouldn't it be better to think about it near the fire?"

She watched him as she stepped inside, trying her best to form a smile on her lips. She wasn't sure what to think and what he was going to say to her.

"I…thought about it." He spoke as she slipped off her jacket, "After I left. I was too hard on you. I'm sorry."

Arturia gave a small smile, "It's alright." She could feel her face burning as the warmth of the house thawed her frozen skin.

"Though," he continued, "I do stand by my statement, still. I would also prefer it if you would call your parents to let them know that you are fine and they don't need to worry about you."

The female sighed, plopping down on her couch with a grunt, "Lancelot, you know I'm not going to do that." She kept her eyes trained on the fire, not letting her mind wander into guilt.

"It's not a suggestion, Arturia. It's a command. You have to do it, your parents are worried and you need to calm them down." He spoke.

"No. I will not call them." She was scared that the voice of her mother would coax her to return and she did not want that. She wanted to continue sitting under the stars, feeling the fresh wind as she rode a horse, talk about life with new people—people that would soon grow to know her for who she was, not for who her family was or what she had done.

"I don't think you understand—"

Arturia groaned, glaring at Lancelot, "I won't, and that will not change anytime soon. If you came to bring me back, give up. There is nothing you can say to change my mind, so go home."

Lancelot pulled his long tresses back into a ponytail, "All I ask of you is to call."

She closed her eyes, not wanting to hear him lower his voice to a softer tone. He always knew what to say when he spoke with that melancholy voice of his that came to her as a lullaby. She wanted him to keep silent, to stop making her feel guilty, to stop making her feel conflicted and she _urged_ him to stop making her think of returning.

"It would do you good, Arturia. You'll be able to truly take a deep breath and wash all your guilt away. I know you feel guilty, but you should call them. It will reassure them that you're safe." He slowly set his hand on her knee, patting it gently, "You did what you had to for whatever reason, but your parents need closure; call them, please."

The morning came lazily, the birds chirping and the distinct sound of a rooster filling the cabin as did the sunlight. Arturia's eyes slowly and sleepily flickered open, a yawn escaping her lips. She noticed the fire had been extinguished due to the lack of attention it received throughout the night. The female stretched, lifting her head off from the young man's shoulder.

The previous night had gone without a call to her parents and a more emotional bond between the two young adults. They talked up until late in the night about what they felt, what they hoped to feel and what they wanted in their lives. It had been months since Arturia had had such a strong and beautiful conversation with her best friend, and she was so glad. They had fallen asleep on the couch, curled up next to each other and watching the mesmerizing fire dying.

Feeling the cool of the morning, she slowly stood from the couch, walking to her room and getting a blanket from the small chest at the bed post. She took a blue wool blanket that Scáthach had given her and trudged back to the living room, extending the cloth over the sleeping male.

She decided it best to take a shower and prepare for the morning, as she usually did. She made sure not to spend too long in the shower, quickly change into something comfortable, knowing that she had the morning off.

Oversized sweatpants were always her thing, and she figured a pullover would keep her warm as the dew accumulated at the corner of her bedroom windows. She peered outside, curious to see the light morning fog hiding deep hills. She could see the shining glow of dew beads on grass blades as the sun was strong enough to shimmer against them.

Her feet grazed over the cool hardwood floor, making her shiver with every new step she took. The granite tiles of the kitchen were ice cold to the touch and she drew her foot back as an instinct. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the kitchen, allowing herself to clearly listen to all the types of birds that sang in the morning of an English countryside. She opened the window for a better sound and the cold breeze immediately flooded the kitchen, her face stiffening.

She messaged the bottom of her neck with her hands, closing her eyes and immersing herself in the moment. The distant sound of a barking dog made her smile. The utter silence; no busy streets, no honking horns, no loud noises or engines running. Simple birds, and sweet silence.

She calmed at the sound of the breeze and the low groan of a cow in the farm. The sounds soothed her right as she filled a pot with water, letting it boil on the stove as her fingers brushed against her wet hair. The bubbling of water snapped her out of the trance she was in and she quickly reached for the tea. Two spoons of the fruity goodness were poured into the boiling water, simmering the bubbling for a while, but soon returning and filling the air with the many fruits the tea held.

Her finger slid over the knob of the stove and she pushed it off, moving the pot of tea aside and crossing the cool kitchen for a mug. After pouring herself some tea, she brought the warm mug to her lips, the steam kissing her nose and the smell of sweet fruit and dew filling her lungs.

A roaring engine that stopped near her house and the knock on the door interrupted her from taking a sip of her sweet tea. She lazily made her way to the door after setting her mug down on the beige kitchen counter. She left the kitchen, tiptoeing past the sleeping violet-haired man and silently pulling the door open.

She peaked over the edge, squinting her eyes at the sun, "Hello," she whispered, catching the maroon eyes of her Landlady.

"Good morning, sweetie." Scáthach grinned, her voice loud and happy, making the young man in the couch shift, unbeknownst to the red-head.

Arturia returned the smile, less enthusiastically albeit, "What, um, brings you here so early in the morning? On a week day, nonetheless."

Scáthach shrugged, "I wanted to check up on you. I heard Diarmuid dropped you off at work yesterday, I'm really glad you both are getting along." She smirked then proceeded to continue, "Since you were at work yesterday, I did not get a chance to speak with you."

Arturia nodded, hoping that the woman would finish before Lancelot awoke.

"I simply wanted to say that you're free to tell me anything. You can trust me for whatever it is. It's hard to trust people when you first move somewhere, and I'm aware how lonely it can be." The look in the older woman's eyes was loving and for a second, Arturia felt a motherly love that she knew her mother lacked, "I'll always be here to lend and ear, darling. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be there for you. Oh and, I bet this goes without saying but, if Grainne ever confronts you about whatever it might be, tell me. I don't want her harassing yet another person."

Arturia slowly nodded, but the groan of the waking man had caught both her and her landlady off guard.

"Arturia," Lancelot yawned as the couch squeaked beneath his shifting body.

Scáthach's maroon eyes grew wide and she pushed the door open, "Who's that?" She asked, her tone changing from previously sweet to a bit dark upon seeing the young man on the couch, a blanket wrapped around him as he stretched from side to side, "I… I thought my brother made it clear on the _no_ _boy_ policy."

Lancelot had finally noticed his onlooker and he quickly stood to his feet, pushing his sleepiness aside quickly, "Hello."

Arturia's cheeks lit up and she rapidly shook her head, "Oh, no, it's nothing like that. This is Lancelot, he's my best friend. We're not together. _At_ _all_."

Scáthach nodded just as she saw the grey eyes of the man. He might keep it silent but it was so evident he had been a bit hurt by the statement, "Oh, well, in that case…" She mumbled, "How long will he be staying?"

"Not long, miss, I plan to take Arturia back home with me." Lancelot was quick to answer and the teacher almost gasped.

"I will not be leaving this village." Arturia assured, "As for how long Lancelot will be staying. I am very sorry, I meant to ask for permission but his arrival had me very thoughtful and surprised. I very much apologize."

"That's alright," Scáthach nodded, eyeing the boy a few times to really analyze him properly, "Though for the future, please let me know. I would want to be aware of anyone staying on my property. I take it Lancelot—was it? —will be staying for a while."

"Hopefully he will not be leaching off of me for too long," Arturia shot him a look and he returned it with an innocent smile.

The woman let out a laugh, "You two really are best friends. Well, we will speak about this in more detail later. For now, I must get to the school. Goodbye." She waved before turning on her heel and taking a step towards her car. She stopped, turning her head towards the blonde again, "Oh and please do make sure this does not get in the way of you winning my little brother's heart, please?"


	12. An Odd Evening

It was the end of the week and, as always, Arturia didn't work. Thus, she had to occupy herself with other things, which meant getting a hold of herself and refraining from kicking Lancelot out of her home. This kid had quite literally been teasing her for the entire week; he had not let Scáthach's words slip by at all. He had constantly been making comments on "Pretty Boy".

Currently, Arturia was seated on the couch popping strawberries in her mouth while she silently watched the television. She had pushed Lancelot towards the bathroom because he had completely omitted taking a shower for the past few days. He claimed it was having 'freedom' and 'no wonder' she loved the countryside.

The timer on the stove went off and she hurried to the kitchen for the food was most likely ready. She heard the water halt in the pipes and it was soon followed by the groaning of a door. She guessed Lancelot had left the washroom and was simply changing.

_Ding!_

"I'll get the door!" Lancelot called from the living room, his footsteps loud and echoing throughout the small cabin. It sounded as if he tripped halfway but caught himself before the fall. Soon enough, he opened the door.

Lancelot stood, his lips a straight line as his hair let droplets of water pool on the hardwood floor around him, after sliding past his pale torso, "Pretty boy!" He waved, his grey eyes lifting at the sight of the dark-haired boy.

Diarmuid, on the other hand, stood still—shocked. His dark brows were furrowed as he looked at the shirtless man in front of him. No words could leave his mouth at this point, his hands had hardened into fists and he clenched his jaw, nearly gritting his teeth, "Where's Arturia?" He finally spoke.

"Hello to you as well," Lancelot blinked and then turned, his hair launching water all about—even on Diarmuid, " _Artiechoke_ , there's a man at the door for you. It's, uh, Daniel?"

"Daniel?" Arturia peaked her head from the kitchen, her eyes landing on a half naked Lancelot, "Put your shirt on, Lancelot." She growled and stalked to the door, giving him a glare.

The violet haired boy hurried away, missing the towel that the blonde threw at him. She slowly made it to the door, after sending another insult at her friend, "Daniel?" She finally set her eyes on Diarmuid, "I've told him nearly a thousand times that is was Diarmuid." She breathed as she shook her head.

Diarmuid's usually bright honey eyes seemed a little dull on this fall afternoon, "Lancelot? Artiechoke?"

Arturia blushed, her cheeks flaming as she immediately looked away, "Lancelot gave me that nickname when we were kids. We used to wrestle a lot."

"Who's Lancelot?" Alright, he knew it was not his place to be asking, but for some odd reason, he felt upset as something deep inside him twisted at the sight of the other young man.

"Oh," Arturia gave a nod, "Scáthach has yet to tell you? He is my best friend. He will be staying with me for a few days until I can convince him to return to London without me."

Lancelot seemed to have taken no time in changing and jumping into the conversation, "Actually, I will be succeeding in taking her back to London."

Arturia shot the violet-haired man an even look and then turned back to Diarmuid, "Anyway, you needed to speak with me?" She asked, leaning on the doorframe.

Diarmuid blinked twice, his eyes landing on Lancelot for a split second, "My sister wished to invite you over for dinner."

"Well," she mumbled, "I do have to take care of this kid," her gaze flickered towards Lancelot.

"Well, I'm sure my sister would love for him to tag along; you already know that she has that specific view on people and their family."

Arturia gave a small nod, "Ah, I guess you're right." Her eyes lingered on Diarmuid's for a second and then she nodded again, "We will be there in ten minutes, he simply needs to dry his hair."

Diarmuid bid his quick farewell and disappeared up into the hill.

Arturia had helped the young man dry his hair after she had changed into something much more presentable. It wasn't as if they got all dressed up, but they did try to not look like they had been lazing around in the cabin all day.

"It's been a while," Cu gave her a smile, then proceeding to look Lancelot over, "Lance…?"

"—lot. Lancelot." The violet haired man extended his hand, his normal stoic face put forward.

They all made their way towards the table just as Scáthach and Diarmuid finished plating the table. The table was lit by the many stories that Cu Chulainn and Lancelot shared, and Arturia could see they were getting along. Scáthach would occasionally comment on one of Cu's stories, correcting him and adding details here and there.

Diarmuid, was using his fork to pick at his golden potatoes, with hesitance.

"I do hope you don't throw those away," Scáthach glared at her youngest brother, "My hand might just slip and spill my glass." The glass of wine was brought to her maroon decorated lips.

Diarmuid groaned, blinking at his sister, "I'm not throwing them away," he argued, putting his fork down. "I'm not feeling well, is it alright if I could go up to my room?"

Scáthach sighed, "Yes, of course, go on ahead; you're excused."

"Thank you." He stood from his seat, picking up his plate and then hurried out of the dinning room.

Dinner was over rather quickly, time flew after Diarmuid had left and Scáthach invited the two best friends to move to the living room for a light snack and a coffee while they decided to play some board games.

"Hey, Artie, do you mind asking my brother if he's feeling any better to play with us? It's game night and I don't want him missing it." Scáthach asked, her head tilted, straight hair falling over her shoulder and a small smile on her lips.

Arturia gulped, a small flutter in her stomach before she accepted. "I wouldn't mind at all." She smiled softly before taking directions from Cu as to where the Teenager's room was.

She slowly stepped up the stairs, some groaning under her feet from her weight. There was a certain rhythm her heart was beating to, not one Arturia had been familiar with before to this extent. The dark hallway did not have a single light on for Arturia couldn't find the switch, but what guided her though the silent and intimidating hall was the light that leaked from the crack underneath a door at the end of the hall from the left.

It did not take long to reach it, but it did to knock on it. She had stood still for a while, listening to what the boy was doing. She heard his voice—as soothing as it was—talking, most likely on the phone. He spoke with tenderness and she had already assumed it was with Grainne.

"Oh, wait one sec, babe," she heard his hush after she knocked, "I'll call you back, okay?"

Guilt washed over the blonde as she huffed and shook her head, the approaching steps not making her feel any better.

The door was pulled open by the man, revealing Diarmuid there, "Oh, hey."

"Uhm, hi."

He looked at her in a manner that made her feel strange, almost as if he were analyzing her, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh," the question had caught her off guard, "Your sister said it was game night and if you were feeling better, she wanted you to join us."

The brunette blinked, "I don't mean here," he leaned on the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest, "I mean… Uhm, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. That was out of line, forgive me." He already bowed at her, which was a strange custom, really.

Arturia gave a soft chuckle, "It's alright, I guess. Don't worry too much."

Diarmuid rubbed the beck of his neck, biting his lower lips for a split second, "Hey, I checked the weather for tomorrow, and I was wondering if you would like to go for another ride…?" He exited the room and closed the door behind himself.

"Oh, sure, that would be fun," She gave a small smile, "I'd love to."

"Great," Diarmuid returned a shy smile, looking away from her for a second, "Well, maybe we should be off, right? Scatty must be missing us." He went off ahead, turning on the lights and filling the room with a yellow light, lighting up the flower printed wallpaper and dark wood floor.

Arturia felt her cheeks heat up a bit, but she could not control it, the sudden beating of her heart too. Yet, she could not get rid of the guilty feeling in her gut, not for even a single second.

"How are you feeling?" Scáthach asked, glad that her brother joined her as was evident in the cheery smile on her lips and the loving look in her eyes.

Diarmuid forced a smile, "I'm better," he spoke, "Well, what are we going to be playing tonight?"

"Monopoly," Cu triumphantly smiled. The older of the two brother always won at the game—no matter what; he won. They would play for days and Scatty always ended up Bankrupt, selling her lands to Cu, while Diarmuid would slowly fall too; not without putting up a fight and refusing to sell Broadway and a couple of trips to Jail. Honestly, once all the lands are taken and they're erecting hotels all very the place—jail is the only place you could be safe from bankruptcy.

"Oh god, no." Diarmuid was quick to complain, "Not today, Grainne and I are going for Ice cream tomorrow morning."

"Morning?" Scáthach asked, "Dia, I have told you that Ice cream is not good to have in the morning. In fact, I scolded you two days ago."

Diarmuid blushed, a hand already shooting up to cover his face, "W-well, Grainne insisted."

"Ah, so if she insists you jump off a cliff, would you?"

Amber eyes blinked, "Scat, please, that's ridiculous."

"I call the dog." Lancelot interrupted the small quarrel, setting up the board game.

"No! It's mine!" Cu gasped, launching himself towards the small trinket in the Violet haired man's hands.

Lancelot dodged him just in time. Falling over onto the couch, "I called it first. They don't call me Mad Dog for nothing."

Cu narrowed his scarlet eyes, which seemed to glow with determination, "Neither do the call me Hound if I don't bite," His tongue flickered over his unusually sharp canines.

Lancelot cracked an uncharacteristic smile.

"Lancelot, give the dog to Cu," Arturia walked up to her friend, who was already standing at a position of attack, ready to fight for his right to use the dog.

Lancelot's features hardened back to those common to him, "But—"

"Lancelot," Arturia nagged, placing a hand on his—the one that held the dog, "We are their guests, now do return it and settle for… the ship!"

"The ship?" He blinked his lifeless gray eyes, "No."

"The thumbnail?"

"No."

"Fine; take the ship and I'll get you chocolate tomorrow."

Lancelot was not too convinced, but candy always sounded tempting, "Deal." He huffed as he placed the dog trinket on the table and immediately, Cu thanked Arturia and sat down, ready for the game.


	13. Shattered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "It's enough just to make you feel crazy... Doesn't matter because it's enough to be young and in love..." Lana Del Rey, Love

It seemed that Gráinne and Diarmuid often went out for ice cream. It had been a few weeks since the monopoly game, Lancelot was still lingering about and Diarmuid and Arturia went on yet another riding trip. The last one had not gone so well because Gráinne had decided that her boyfriend had to help her with her nails.

Of course, Arturia did not try to fight Gráinne because it seemed like the two girls were getting along after the heart to heart.

"How was your time with Gráinne?" Arturia had to remind herself that the young man that placed the saddle on the horse had a girlfriend. In fact, he had been with her that very morning. But there was a certain tug in her heart she felt every time those lovely honey eyes of his landed ever so slightly on her. They were almost like Amber resin jewels that trapped beautiful insects—instead of those though, it was her heart beat that was trapped inside.

Diarmuid sighed, his chest quickly rising and falling, "It was nice," he gave a smile, "I had a strawberry ice cream."

Arturia tried to suppress the smile that was threatening to rise to her lips, "You like strawberry?"

"Nah," he shrugged, petting the horse a bit, "I prefer mint but Gráinne wanted to have a taste of the strawberry one so I ordered it."

Arturia slowly nodded, trying her best to mount the horse without any help, "Mint is nice."

"Mhm," he replied, the conversation falling flat rather quickly.

"A quick question, though it is not my place to ask" she mumbled, blinking a couple of times, "why do you go get ice cream every Sunday? Even though it's nearly November?"

He shrugged, "Well Gráinne likes to spend time with me and I like ice cream. So, we settled on that. We usually stop mid November for the winter and start back up again in March."

Arturia was able to make it on top of the horse without any help, but with quite a bit of pain in her right arm. It had been a while since she exerted it and that only caused her to wince. She made sure to relax her shoulder as she settled on the horse.

"How is work going for you?" The young man asked, that sweet sincerity in his voice.

Arturia couldn't exactly settle on what made him so attractive. His looks were a bonus, for sure, but that wasn't what drew her to him—she knew this much. She had thought about it before, but nothing could make her understand. His sincerity, uniqueness, kindness, loyalty... Which one was it that made her gravitate towards him? Which one was it that kept her emerald eyes lingering on him for those exhausting extra seconds? What made the corner of her lips curl as she felt something coil in her stomach?

She finally responded, releasing a deep breath she had not realized she was holding, "Uh, um, go-great," she responded, her cheeks blazing for she had been caught off guard.

Arturia was usually one to keep her cool, to restrain herself from getting attached, one to void herself of any earthly feelings or desires, but Diarmuid just knew exactly how to make her heart skip a beat and her eyes flicker to his lips. This nonsense needed to stop!

"That's good to hear," the stupid smile of his had to stop too, "How is Jeanne treating you?" They had already led the horses out of the barn and were on their way over to the next hill.

Arturia forced her eyes ahead of herself, she had to calm down her heart beat and think about the actual important things, "She's super nice, I'm glad to have made a friend like her. I feel almost as if we have known each other for the longest time."

The trees had already begun to change colours—in fact, they were already losing their leaves. Some were swooped up, lulled by the wind into a waltz, while others tried their best to stick with the tree. What wheat remained on the fields was already past harvest season and the breeze was now starting to bite at their noses.

"Yes, she is a great friend of mine as well," He added, a sigh of relief escaping his lips, "there's some people that think she's annoying, I honestly have no idea how they can come to that conclusion."

Arturia gave a nod of approval, her lips forming a thin frown, "Maybe because she doesn't back down?"

It seemed he took it into consideration, "Maybe," he shrugged.

There was silence that surfaced, the wind being the only one to make sounds. They did not make much conversation other than talking about the weather and his many comments on school, every now and again.

Diarmuid halted his horse about three hills over, he then instructed Arturia to do the same. After all was said and done, he dismounted his horse, offering Arturia a hand to help her down from her own.

Arturia was no fool, she took his hand, feeling the shock of electricity run through her arm. Her cheeks were warm but it could be subsided to the fact that it was cold out. She made sure not to let her right arm be exerted in anyway for she knew she would then have a problem.

She would admit his hand was cold, a little rough due to the breeze but it made her stomach rollover and her heart jump as if they were enthusiastic dogs.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, lighting a spark in her heart and thawing her frozen cheeks. There was no romance in his touch but Arturia paid extra attention to the way he slightly squeezed her waist when he pulled her down, or the extra second her held on to her before slowly slipping his arms from her.

The proximity allowed her to take in the scent of pine and firewood that lingered on him, making her close her eyes for a fraction of a second to properly enjoy the smell.

"There, all perfect now," he smiled at her.

That stupid, idiotic smile of his just made her eyes linger much too long on his lips, he needed to stop this subconscious flirting—it was driving her mad.

"Hey, did you hurt your arm?" He asked. It was a sudden question but it did its job of getting her back to reality and far away from the over thinking.

She perked up an eyebrow, pouting her lips to one side, "Pardon?"

"You sorta winced when you got on the horse earlier, did you hurt your arm?" He rephrased.

She bit the inside of the cheeks, chewing on the flesh a bit just to ease her, "I have dislocated my shoulder a few times already. Shattered my shoulder blade and cracked my clavicle once."

"Woah! How'd you manage that? The worst I've ever gotten was stitches," he mumbled as he sat down.

Arturia agreed he was charming, just his being was extremely appealing—even in a platonic way, "I used to fence. I dislocated it twice during matches and once I shattered it, not too long ago, actually. I couldn't fence anymore after that."

"I'm sorry to hear that." He whispered as she took a seat next to him on the grass.

She managed a shrug, "It's not as bad as you might think; health wise I'm completely fine. Of course, I was quite upset but, what could I do?"

"How did you shatter it?"

There was hesitation in her words, "Uh... Just an accident. Nothing much too serious though."

"While fencing?" He asked, curiosity sparking in his honey eyes.

"A bet gone wrong, mostly."

They fell silent again. It wasn't an awkward silence, per say, it was a soothing one. It gave them a moment to reflect.

The cool breeze made the girl shudder, this did not go unnoticed by the young man sitting next to her. He took off his thin jacket and passed it over to her, "Here, take it."

Arturia shook her head, "Oh no, I don't want you to freeze out here."

He shot her an even look and proceeded to wrap the jacket around her shoulders, "You need it more than I do."

He had pulled up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing his forearms. Her eyes lingered on the sun-kissed skin for a second or two, until she noticed something. There were two parallel lines of thin scabs that ran perpendicular to his arm, as if someone of something had scratched him.

She furrowed her brows and looked away, finding it best not to pry. The good thing is that they didn't look self inflicted (he would be hiding them otherwise). She settled her mind in the fact that it was due to farm duties; maybe a rake or something injured him.

"I thought you might like it here, do you?" He asked out of the blue, laying back on the floor.

She nodded her head, "Yes, it's lovely."

"Gráinne is more of a city girl, she doesn't like hanging out on top of a hill much," he mumbled, "It's nice to have company when riding."

"Have you invited Jeanne up here?"

"Yeah, we used to come a lot when we were younger. With Cú and all. But they both started working and we got over our problems." His eyes were steady on the clouds over head.

"Ah," she slowly mumbled, "Nature is always refreshing."

"That's for sure," Diarmuid propped himself up on his elbows.

When they deemed it time to return to their respective hill; after relaxing and watching the day grow old, they mounted their horses and began riding back.

* * *

_"Gil," Arturia nagged, "I swear," she breathed as she held tightly onto the seatbelt. Her heart had jumped just as the boy stepped harder on the gas pedal. Her hands were clamped tightly around the seatbelt even more as Gilgamesh quickly maneuvered the wheel to make a sharp turn, "I have told you that I disapprove of drag racing."_

_"What else do we have fast cars for, Arturia?" The man scoffed, his hands turning the wheel a bit more, letting it go for a few seconds._

_"Because you are filthy rich and you don't know where else to spend your money," she deadpanned through clenched teeth. She hated drag races but Gilgamesh loved to live life on the edge, with everything—even his life—on the line._

_Gilgamesh shrugged, "I assume that can also be accounted for."_

_"What if we crash?"_

_"That's why you don't jinx it, god Arturia," he huffed, bringing the car to a stop with one dragged out movement._

_Arturia flung forwards a bit—not harshly, albeit. There was an evident frown on her lips as she glanced over at the man in the driver's seat. She took a deep breath, looking back in front of her as the crowd was growing on either side of the street. They had yet to begin the weekly race and it was Arturia's second time riding with Gil. She always urged him to quit coming back, but it went unheeded by the blond._

_It wasn't as if Arturia had feelings for Gilgamesh—she didn't. But deep, deep down, she didn't want him to die over something so stupid. Sure, it was fun being around Gilgamesh sometimes, but not when he was racing._

_"It's going to be fine, Arturia, the mongrels won't catch up. Plus, I have B class riding skills."_

_"On a horse!" Arturia argued as he revved up the engine, "Gilgamesh, it's not to late to turn the car around."_

_They were at the start line, his golden car with green flames mostly being the centre of the spot light. There were other cars next to them, a purple one with tentacles or something nasty splotched with red marks, as if it were blood; another was red and brown, blue lighting stretched across the sides._

_"Darling," he turned towards Arturia as a dark-skinned woman clad in black walked to the centre, right in between the red car and Gil's, "it's way too late." He then flickered his gaze back to the woman as she lifted a gun, a smirk on her lips while her face was covered with a skeleton mask._

_Arturia could see a boy with shoulder length green hair, or was that a girl? Seated in the passenger's seat in the red car, a buff man at the wheel, "Gil, don't get us into an accident," she begged._

_"I won't." The gun was fired up into the sky and it was until a few milliseconds later that the cars zoomed ahead. Arturia had been quick to hold on to the seat as Gilgamesh skillfully maneuvered the vehicle with practiced ease._

_The sharp turns sent the female flying to one side or the other, her breathing heightened and her heart on rapid beatings. She was sure she was near to having a cardiac arrest. The speed of the car was easily over a hundred and eighty kilometres an hour._

_"Gil! This is dangerous!" She called out but the male only demonstrated his content by swerving the car like a drunk man._

_"Relax, Arturia, nothing will happen."_

_Trees flashed by them, not allowing Arturia's eyes to even linger on the passing objects without having the need to vomit. She didn't have motion sickness but this was an exception._

_It felt like ages to her, but the ride was less than a couple of songs on the radio and the car finally came to a halt; a little harsher than Arturia was expecting. Gilgamesh cracked a grin, tuning towards Arturia, "See, we did not crash, babe."_

_Arturia took a deep breath, "This is illegal."_


	14. The City

She held her shoulder as she rolled it, due to her sleeping position it had caused her to wake up in the middle of the night. She was seated on her bed, the blue pyjamas clinging messily to her body while her legs were tangled in the sheets.

She breathed while she stretched her arm, hoping the pain would soon subside and she was able to sleep for the next couple of hours before she had to hurry off to work. The memory of the accident dashed through her mind and she shook her head. There was a bit of fear in her eyes but she blinked it away, suppressing the memory.

She pushed herself from the bed and slowly made her way to the kitchen, filling a kettle with water and setting it on the stove. She made sure to make as little noise as possible so as to no wake Lancelot up. He was turning on the couch at the sound of the click of the stove knob.

Arturia could remember that he was a light sleeper, but she was always stealthy.

The whistling of the kettle snapped her from her gaze on Lancelot and she immediately removed it from the flames, placing a few tea leaves inside. She shot her gaze to her sleeping friend, praying she had not woken him—he was completely fine.

Arturia poured herself a cup and made her way towards the bed. She settled back in the covers, wrapping them tightly around herself while she sipped her Earl Gray.

Leaning into the wooden headboard she closed her eyes; the single thought of the car had her shiver and the pain in her shoulder continue.

The following morning, she stood from the bed when the rooster cocked. She walked towards the kitchen and shook Lancelot awake on her way there.

He yawned audibly, groaning and shuffling on the couch. He was usually a light sleeper but she noted that he slept more soundly out in the countryside. He stretched as he stood, yawning a couple of more times and groggily walking towards his best friend, "What's for breakfast?" he grumbled.

"Tea." She replied, eyes on the boiling water, "Go take a shower; Scáthach invited us to go to the city with her."

"Oh, really?" Lancelot raised an eyebrow, sleep still leaving his eyes half-closed, "Are you looking forward to heading out?"

She nodded, enjoying the silence of the early morning, "In fact, I am. In some way or form, I miss the city."

Lancelot laughed, walking towards the window and taking in the sight before him. Rolling hills across green and bright while the further ones cast blue shadows. He could spot the neighbours on the hill over tending to their farm, walking the sheep out towards the pastures for the day. The fluffy clouds strolled over them, forming shapes and dissipating. The strong smell of the countryside made him smile. The grass, the pines, the aroma of fresh air.

He could tell that Arturia did seem happier out in the middle of nowhere; far away from civilization and away from the power-hungry circle she was weaved into. She was free from the chains of social etiquette.

He turned towards her, "You love it here, don't you?" He asked, leaning against the window frame and crossing his arms over his chest.

Arturia glanced at her friend, a simple and humble smile snaking unto her lips. "I suppose."

"You don't want to go back, do you?"

Her smile dropped and she immediately looked back down at the simmering water that seemed nearly ready for the tea, "I never said that." She mumbled, flickering his gaze up to him for a few seconds, "One day I will return, but not any day soon."

"I would only hope." Lancelot nodded.

Arturia's ear perked at the sound of a knock on the door. She wiped her hands off on a kitchen cloth and excused herself before nagging Lancelot to take a shower. He followed her out of the kitchen and headed his respectful way to the washroom while the young lady hurried to the door.

She fixed her hair a little bit and opened the door with a short creak, "Hello," she greeted with a smile.

"Hi." A breathless smile from the brunette's part, "Are you ready to head off?"

Arturia bit her lip, "Grainne," she nodded in acknowledgement, "We are almost about ready. Lancelot is going to be running a little bit late."

"Lancelot? Oh! The boy that's staying with you? Dia told me a bit about it; I couldn't juice out all the information, sadly." She giggled as she let herself in, "Well, that shouldn't be an issue, really. Scatty is coming to pick us up with Dia."

"Hm?" Arturia tilted her head as she watched Grainne sit down, "You are… coming with us? What about Jeanne? I thought she was the one tagging along."

Grainne frowned, giving a sarcastic chuckle, "Yes, but she had to cover for her brother because he had asked to go out before she did. Life is only fair that way." She tapped her fingers on her lap.

_Zzziiiiii_

Arturia jumped at the sound of the tea pot, having forgotten all about the boiling tea, "Forgive me, I'll tend to the tea."

Grainne smiled at her and gave her an excusing nod before looking down at her pale blue nails.

"Artie!" Lancelot called from the bathroom, "Can you get me a towel? I forgot it."

Arturia turned her head towards the voice, a sigh escaping her lips. She turned off the stove and took a step towards the bathroom.

"Oh!" Grainne called, "I can take care of that, you pay attention to the tea. Where's the towel?" There was a soft smile on her lips, it looked genuine and so Arturia nodded and directed her towards the closet of the towels.

The brunette made her way towards the closet and pulled the door open, taking a white towel from the pile. Arturia watched as she walked to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Thank you, Artiechoke," the young man stuck his hand out from around the door's bend to receive the cloth.

Grainne giggled, "No problem."

The man gasped and after having a firm grip on the towel he retracted his hand and shut the door, "Arturia! Why did you not tell me we were having a guest?"

The blonde kept silent and faced the tea again, pouring three cups.

It did not take Lancelot long to exit the shower fully dressed and with a clearly embarrassed blush on his face as he strode past Grainne and straight to Arturia who remained in the kitchen, "Who is she?" he whispered.

"Grainne; Diarmuid's girlfriend." Arturia blinked, indifference on her features as was common to see, "She will be joining us instead of Jeanne."

"To your dismay…" Lancelot chuckled.

Arturia shot him a glare and picked up the tea cup, handing one over to Lancelot and pushing past him to the brunette, "Here," she offered, "It's Earl Grey, I hope you like it."

Grainne frowned, "Oh, I only drink herbal. Fruits always taste sweeter." She chimed, "But," her voice fell, "since you offered, I cannot deny." Her thin and soft hand reached for the tea cup, smiling brightly at the young female. "Have you had breakfast? I recommend you don't."

Lancelot raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Oh, well," the brunette laughed, "the ride is super bumpy and lots of winding roads… to say the least."

"So, vomiting is probable." The young man concluded, grey eyes flashing over to his best friend.

"Yup!" Grainne nodded, "Now, Dia is waiting and you know we can't keep him waiting any longer."

* * *

The drive to the city was long, and indeed very bumpy. Diarmuid had been told to sit in the front seat and Lancelot off to one side so that Scáthach had a better view of the rear of the car. The ride was mostly silent and usually interrupted by Grainne complaining that she was stuffy and Diarmuid assuring her it would all be over soon.

"Finally," Grainne groaned, "I thought it would never end." She stretched as she had closed the car door behind herself. Right before Arturia's face.

The blonde sighed and decided to exit through Lancelot's side, which he had generously opened for her. She gave him a displeased look and he nodded in agreement as the teacher locked the car.

"Here we are!" It seemed that the redhead was also ignoring her brother's girlfriend as she rounded the car to offer a smile to Arturia, "Do you like it?"

It wasn't much of a city, per se, rather another town; much larger than the one they lived close to. There were shops of all sorts that lined the main street, lamp posts looking as if they had remained from the 1800s with vines creeping around them and blooming flowers colouring the town. A city did not smell as fresh as this nor did it look as organized.

"It's lovely." She grinned, her eyes fixated on the many stone buildings. The sun was out this time, warming the streets with it's sweet light.

Diarmuid had an arm wrapped around the brunette as he made his way towards the other females. Lancelot was already off looking at something in a store, "I'm really glad that you're liking it." The handsome man returned the smile.

They began to walk through the streets, eyes occasionally catching glimpses of items they liked.

"Love, can we please go in?" Grainne fluttered her eyelashes after having seen a perfume store.

Diarmuid chuckled and gave her a nod before excusing himself from the other three.

"Watch," Scáthach frowned, lips cutting deep into her face, "She is going to ask him to buy Coco Chanel." She grumbled as they continued their way down the street.

"How about we split up?" Lancelot suggested, "We could go check out places that interest us and then meet up again. How does that sound?"

The older female nodded, "If that is what you would like."

"Thanks!" The violet-haired boy grinned and headed off, dashing toward a shop that was quite far away at that point.

"Do you want to head off alone?" Scáthach asked, eyebrow raising slightly.

"We could go around together, if you would prefer." Arturia mumbled, her eyes flickering to the other female.

Scáthach clapped her hands together, "Yes!" She grinned, "I would love that. You know, you're almost like a sister. Really wish you were the one with Dia."

Arturia blushed and shook her head, "No, you really would not like that."

She sighed, "I'm sure I would."

They walked towards a clothing store and began a hunt for something that they would like. They tried on a few outfits, Scáthach taking lots of pictures because it felt like a girl's day out. The women had ended up deciding to buy a few things.

"I'm going to find a bigger size for this. Wait at the cashier, okay?" Scáthach smiled down at a burgundy shirt.

Arturia nodded, "Take your time." She waved as she held the clothes in her other arm. The voices of the television caught her attention and she looked up to a small flat screen that hung from a corner in the store.

A blonde woman was seated before the camera, a business suit on as she informed the country about the latest news, "It has been two months since the disappearance of Britain's Conservative Candidates daughter has gone missing. Not many leads have been found and her family remains in despair. If you have any information on her whereabouts, you are asked to call this number." Not long after the woman started speaking, a picture of Arturia appeared on screen along with a number for where to call.

Arturia's eyes grew and she dropped the clothing on the floor before running out of the store, not even remembering that Scáthach was left behind. Upon leaving the store, her heart began to beat faster as she searched for a phone booth.

She ran towards one that was at the end of the block, her mind all over the place. The lights of the lamp posts lighting the path as the sun was just about to disappear below the hills.

Grainne smiled brightly, kissing her boyfriend on the lips, "Thank you, sweetheart." She giggled and gave him an even brighter smile.

"No problem babe," he kissed her on the forehead. They were also about to buy somethings until Grainne saw the blonde dash past the window.

Her brows furrowed, _Where is she headed?_ Her curiosity got the better hand and she looked back up at Diarmuid, "Um, I'm going to be heading to another shop, is it okay if you could finish up here?" She fluttered her lashes and gave her best puppy eyes.

"Uhm," Diarmuid rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, don't worry."

"Awesome, thanks!" She kissed him again and then followed Arturia. She had left the store just in time to see the Englishwoman enter the phonebooth and she wasted no time in reaching it. She hid behind the nearest tree, which was only a foot from the booth.

Arturia slipped a coin in the slot of the phone and picked it up, gliding her fingers over the numbers as she dialed.

The phone rang.

Once.

Twice.

"Pick up, please." She hummed under her breath, foot tapping quickly on the floor.

Three times and more until it hit voicemail. She gulped and pushed in another coin hoping that this time around someone would answer the phone.

Ring…ring…ring…

"Please!" She managed to call out, her hands shaking a bit, heart still pounding harshly against her chest.

"Hello, this is the Pendragon residence."

She stiffened at the sound of the maid's voice. Her mind was slow in formulating words.

"Hello?"

"Hello! Is…" Arturia gulped, biting her cheek and grasping the phone tightly, her knuckles whitening, "is uhm, my…my mother home?"

"L-Lady Arturia?!" The woman gasped, "Ah y-yes! Right away!"

Arturia could hear the woman's foot steps fly through the house as she ran down hallways and up flights of stairs; she was already out of breath.

"Milady, your daughter," the maid huffed.

"Artie? Sweetheart? Is that you?" Her mother sounded frantic through the phone, her voice shaky and despair deep within.

Arturia closed her eyes, catching her breath as it had left her when she heard Igraine's voice, "Mother…"

"Oh, thank the heavens! You are alright, my baby." Igraine burst into tears, her sobs echoing in Arturia's mind, "Oh, thank you. Baby, where are you? What happened? Did they hurt you? Don't be scared." The woman could barely breathe through her excitement and sorrow.

"Mother, I am completely fine. I left on my own accord, no one was involved. You have to stop saying I was abducted." Arturia was not mad, she was scared. Her mind was hung up on what people would think of her if they knew who she was and what she had done.

"Sweetie, what do you mean? Are you hurt? Are you in danger?" Worry returned to her voice, frantic breathing cutting and impeding her speech, "Where are you?"

"I said I was fine, mother. I am fine. I…" Her short-lived anger disappeared, "I can't tell you where I am. Mother, I am safe and I finally feel happy—for once in my life. Please just understand that I won't go back. I can't."

"Why? Why can't you?" Igraine was searching for an answer, "I promise things will change."

Arturia shook her head, trying to hold back a sob as her throat dried and her nose stung, "No. No, I can't. Please, just let me be free; let me find myself and not just decay under social pressures. I am my own person and I want people that care for me. I finally found that here. I finally feel appreciated, cared for, loved. I need this."

"B-but what about all we did for you?"

"I thank you for that," a tear slipped from her eye, "but you left me alone. I was alone my entire life and now I finally have people around me."

There was shuffling and her mother gasped through the line before a deep voice entered the conversation, "Where are you? You have to come back, now!"

"No, father," she argued, "I won't return."

"Do you know what you have put us through? What your mother has endured these past months? Are you insane? Have you lost your mind, Arturia?" Uther screamed through the phone, causing Arturia's heart to ache.

"No, I have not. Can't you accept my happiness for once? Did you even think of what I had gone through for so long? What I had endured? No! You only cared about your stupid campaign and being a Prime Minister. You never cared about me. Both of you! You left me alone and you only cared about yourselves!" Arturia yelled, her throat stinging and tears springing from her eyes.

"Arturia—"

"Stop. Stop looking for me. Stop trying to ruin my life just as it is finally starting to move again. Stop tying me down to fit the idea of the perfect child that you want. It's not me."

Uther breathed, "We love you."

The sob she had been holding back for so long finally escaped and she began to cry. She sniffed, covering her mouth with her free hand while she tried not to be so loud in her crying. She stayed on the phone and just heard the unsteady breathing of her father and the soft crying.

Her shivers died down and she wiped her eyes, "I love you too." Arturia wasted no time in hanging up the phone and slowly exiting the booth. She lowered her head and tried to control her crying.

"Arturia?" Her head shot up and her blurry vision settled on the dark-haired man who had his brows furrowed. She could see he was worried but instead of questioning her tears, he brought her into a hug. His arms wrapped around her protectively and held her close. She slowly clung to him, crying into his chest.

"It'll be alright." He mumbled into her golden strands while rubbing her back.

Scáthach stood meters away, watching the two as they hugged. The problem was that at the end of the street, Grainne stood shocked.

_"Shit."_


	15. Under the Stars

Her sobs died down. Body slowly rocking to a stop. There was comfort and safety in Diarmuid's grip, as if nothing could hurt her. She sniffled while she felt the reassuring circles he drew on her back, his thumb messaging her. When she pulled away, she saw his amber eyes flutter open.

"It's alright." His hands slid over to her shoulders, giving her a squeeze of confidence, "You see."

Arturia rubbed her eyes, hoping to wipe the tears away while letting her eyes rest from all the crying. She felt his hand on her head and then she looked up from her hands, watching the soft and loving smile on his lips.

"Thank you," she murmured, eyes falling again and cheeks warming up. "I am very sorry to have made you uncomfortable."

He shook his head and brought her into a hug again, letting his chin rest on her head, "I only hope you are alright." His grip tightened around her and her arms acted on their own, wrapping loosely around his waist and returning such a kind gesture.

She began to cry all over again, body shaking with every sob while she gripped his shirt between her fingers. Something as simple as a hug and words of encouragement made her heart swell with melancholy and her mind blank. She could not remember the last time someone held her close, held her together, prevented her from falling into pieces. She could not remember such a strong embrace in years, she felt as if she mattered, as if she was valuable.

He pulled away after minutes of silence—not because of the many stares that they were getting from elderly people but because her sobs had quieted down once more. He lifted her head up to him with his thumb, "We should head to the car, don't you think?"

She blinked, a tear falling from the corner of her eye. He caught it on her cheek, smiling at her the sweetest way he knew how.

"I'm sure a soft bed will make you feel better."

All Arturia could do was nod as he silently led her to the car. It was by pure chance that he had the keys since his sister had thrown them at him earlier that afternoon after Grainne complained she was carrying too much. He unlocked the car and opened the door for her on the passenger's seat. She took her seat and then he rounded the car, sitting in the driver's seat.

The ride home was silent. Lancelot was the only one to form conversation throughout the duration of their time in the car. Albeit the effort was meaningless, no one spoke.

* * *

The brunette tapped her recently styled nails on the table of the cafe, other hand supporting her head as she watched the blonde before her copying down notes from a textbook.

"I mean, shouldn't you be a little more discreet? Like, I'm not blind here." She grumbled, her dark eyes turning into slits.

The French girl looked up from her papers, "Hn?"

Grainne rolled her eyes, "Dia and _Arturia_." She second name came out as if it were rotten, "I just feel lied to, you know?"

Jeanne's eyebrow perked up, "Lied to?"

Grainne huffed, "Diarmuid has never _once_ let his eyes wander off from me but in comes little miss 'I'm-so-sad' and he sprinkles rose petals on the floor for her like she's a goddamn queen. It's _ridiculous_. Diarmuid has never once had a friend that was a girl."

The blonde cleared her throat, "I beg to differ."

A grunt, "Yeah but you're different. You're… you know…"

Jeanne lifted her hand to stop the other female, "Don't. Just don't say anything."

The brunette nodded, "I just…ugh, I don't want to be jealous of her, but I can't help it."

"You should trust Diarmuid."

"I _know_ , but look at him. He is handsome and I am sure many girls have thrown themselves on him." She hit her head against the table, resting it there for a while, "I…" Her voice fell, "don't want him to leave me."

Now it was Jeanne's turn to grunt, "You really think he'll leave you?"

"I wouldn't blame him… Arturia is… well, actually I _am_ prettier but Arturia demands less."

Jeanne blinked and then went back to her notes, "Rrriight."

"Trust me," Grainne shot up, "it starts with a tight hug and the next thing you know, he'll be cheating on me!"

"Maybe you should talk to Arturia." Jeanne suggested through the piles of notebooks before her.

"Hmm," the brunette seemed to consider the advice, "Maybe _not_."

Jeanne gulped, shrugging slightly and continued writing down notes. She had already decided that Grainne was one hard girl to handle and she was not in the mood, but the feeling pulled at her gut to defend the other blonde. She dropped her pencil unto her notebook and opened her mouth so to speak.

Her voice case as a hiss, "If you're going to defend her, I'd rather you stay _silent_."

She blinked, "Well, I think I've had enough. Arturia has done nothing wrong and you of all people should at least give her a chance."

Grainne bolted up from her seat and smacked the table, "A _chance_? Yeah, well she blew it! What do you expect me to do? Dance in circles until she takes him away from me?"

The cafe had gone silent, the sound of a single coffee machine being the only sound—save for a chime above the door.

Grainne cleared her throat and sat down, with as much grace as possible. " _Anyway_ ," she cleared her throat, "I already gave her one too many chances."

"I could say the same thing about you." Jeanne closed her books and piled them up, "And yet, I keep giving you more. Personally, I think _that_ is ridiculous."

Grainne sat staring at her as if she had grown another head. She watched her shove her belongings into the purple backpack.

"Trust is vital to _any_ relationship, I hope you see it one day."

The brunette's jaw dropped just as Jeanne bid her farewell and then left the store.

* * *

Lancelot sitting cross-legged on the floor and was packing—much to Arturia's surprise. She had just arrived from work and was hoping to plop down on her bed and rest, but after seeing the young man fill his duffle bag the slumber that had been calling to her suddenly disappeared, "What…are you doing?"

"Uh… _Packing_?"

Arturia grimaced, "Yes, but why?"

"Well," Lancelot stopped to look up at her, "I think… I think it's time for me to leave, you know?"

" _Leave_? Why? You haven't been here for long, why would you leave so soon?"

The young man shrugged, "I figured that you're happy here, that you'll be taken care of. I already spoke to Scatty and Diarmuid; they promised to keep you safe."

Arturia stepped back, "When, uhm," she shook her head, "when are you leaving?"

"In two days." He replied, nonchalant, "But no doubt I'll visit again for Christmas."

The doorbell rang, forbidding her to speak. She flickered her gaze toward the door and then back to Lancelot. After he gave her a nod, she headed off to answer it.

She pulled the door open, offering a soft smile to the man before her.

"Hey," he returned the smile, "I was wondering if you wanted to look at the stars again." He glanced down at his feet and he lifted his gaze back to her, "I brought blankets since autumn is at our doorstep."

She grinned, "I'm pretty sure Diarmuid is on mine."

He laughed, shrugging lightly and then giving her a soft smile again, "So, stars?"

Arturia glanced at Lancelot, almost as if asking permission. He gave her another nod and her eyes lit up.

She closed the door behind her after excusing herself and they began their way over to the middle of the hill. She helped the young man lay down a blanket and they proceeded to sit on it. There were only a few clouds in the sky but it was clear for the most part. A half moon hung in the sky and shun as bright as it could.

Arturia laid back on the blanket, eyes set on the sky before her. The sky was littered with blinking stars that varied in different sizes; it was refreshing to be watching them; Arturia would have never guessed how much she came to love sitting under the stars.

Diarmuid lay beside her, eyes also trained on the bright stars above. The chilly breeze seemed like a distant issue, she felt calm sitting there; far away.

It was silent for a long time, sweet serene silence that seemed to fix the problems she held in her heart. Her mind was only thinking about what her mother was going through. After hearing her on the phone so distraught, it made her ponder if the decision she had taken was truly the best that could have been done.

"Arturia…" Diarmuid hushed. The way he said her name sent fleeting shivers down her spine. He did not say it in a romantic manner, but just the way his voice was tired, his word only above a small whisper.

"Yes?" She hushed back, turning her head ever so slightly towards him.

"Can I ask you something? You don't have to answer it, though."

"Of course,"

"You… About last time. I, well I wanted to know… you know, whatever might be bothering you, I wanted to tell you that I'm here for when you need me. Life can sure be a pain in the butt, but that doesn't mean that you have to face it all by yourself. I'll be there for you." After speaking he gulped, tilting his head away from her.

She turned to face him completely, curling her body in his direction, "And the same goes for you, I hope you are aware of that."

Diarmuid's eyes finally landed on her's, "I know." That small sincere smile grew on his lips and Arturia reached towards him. Her hand landed on his own, softly and uncertainly, almost as if it would burn her skin. His hand was soft and warm, lighting her heart into a cozy furnace. It felt like a mug of coffee on a harsh winter night, sitting by the fire and snuggled in a heap of blankets; she fancied the feeling.

His eyes flickered down to her hand, then he looked up at her. His eyes held a bit of fear but it subsided when his lips formed a smile again. He squeezed her hand and did not say a single word, Arturia also staying silent.

The moment they shared would always be engraved in Arturia's mind. His eyes sparkling, moonlight shinning, hands intertwined as they lay under the loving and blinking stars. It was something out of a fantasy novel, but she would treasure all the memories she had in her new home—especially this one.

* * *

"What are _you_ doing?"

Scáthach jumped from the window sill and shut the curtains in an instant. Clearing her throat, she turned towards her brother, " _Oh_ , hello there."

"Hey," Cú blinked, "mind telling me what you're up to? You seem a bit suspicious."

"Me?" The woman brought a hand to her chest, "No, why would you say that?"

Blinking again, the man walked to the curtains but his older sister tried to block him from pulling them open. A small game of cat and mouse ensued before Scáthach fell unto the couch and Cú hurried to the window, pulling the curtains open only to reveal pitch black.

"Okay, now _that's_ creepy."

Scáthach rolled her eyes, growling, "Look closer."

Cú squinted until he saw what looked like two lumps further into the declining field, "Are those dead bodies? You are sick."

" _That's Dia_."

Cú was scandalized, "You killed him?!"

" _ **No**_ , he's on a date!"

"Oh," the man laughed, "so why are you spying on him and Grainne, you know that's just wrong."

The redhead grinned, "Oh but it's not Grainne he's with." She shimmied her shoulders.

Cú furrowed his brows, looking back out to the field, "Then who?"

Scáthach wiggled her brows and winked, "Arturia."


	16. Breakfast

She awoke to the soft rocking of her body and her name being whispered. It was odd, for it was still dark out when her eyes slowly pried open with heavy regret and exhaustion. "Hn?"

"Arturia," she never knew her own name could ever be said in such a sweet lullaby.

"Hn?" Her exhaustion was not letting her form any words.

"It's two in the morning, I think we should head inside." She tilted her head up at the young man, shadows shrouding his handsome face, but her heart still swelled by the sound of his voice.

He helped her up slowly, one hand holding hers and the other supporting her waist so that she would not fall back on the blanket. He steadied her, her mind waking up to being on high alert due to his propinquity. He was awfully close and she could smell his unique scent. The relaxing evergreen firewood; the refreshing aroma that clung to him. His amber eyes like a fireplace that warmed her heart, his strong arms keeping her in place, the sound of the grass blowing in the wind and the constant sound of crickets setting the silent night alive.

He pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, hand lingering on her jawline for one too many seconds before it fell.

They simply stared at one another, the sounds of the countryside filling them and saying much more than they themselves could at the moment.

Arturia felt the tug in her heart, that temptation to pull him down, it was taking over her. Her eyes were trained on his lips and her mind was hoping to make her lingering thoughts a reality, but she was holding herself back for fear of what would happen after her reckless action.

"I'll walk you home," his voice caught her attention and she finally gave a nod. They left behind the blankets as he guided her carefully towards the small cabin she called home. They came to a stop in front of the door, finally facing each other.

"Thank you…" Arturia let her gaze wander slightly, away from him.

"No problem." It was silent after her spoke, and it stayed so for a while before she gave him a nod.

"Good night…"

"Uhm, yeah, good night."

She turned away from him and began to turn the front door knob.

" _Wait_ ," he breathed.

She turned around. "Ye…Yes?"

" _Uh…uhm, well,_ would you…mmm… Would you like to join us for breakfast?"

She blinked at his question, slowly tilting her head up to him again, "Breakfast?"

Diarmuid scratched the back of his head. "Well, if you want. I uh, I don't want to…impose…"

She smiled, "I would love to."

His eyes lit up as he took a deep breath. "Great. _Awesome._ Cool, uhm, I'll see you tomorrow then…?"

Arturia smiled before pushing her door open and closing it behind herself. The butterflies in her stomach were fluttering about and her heart was pounding at an alarming rate but for some reason she liked the way he made her feel—anxious and excited at the same time, calm but ready to burst with emotion.

* * *

The following morning, she was bustling through the cabin, preparing anything she would need for the day ahead. She ecstatic. Her hair was let down from the usual pony tail, she had stared at herself in the mirror checking blemishes and other imperfections but soon ignoring them all together. She had changed about five times while having tried out a few outfits.

"You seem happy, how did the date go?" Lancelot sat on the unmade bed, mug in hands and sipping at a sweet herbal tea, "Did you kiss?"

Arturia turned to him, gasp at the back of her throat and cheeks flushing, "Ugh, what?" She shook her head. "Of course _not_ , it was not a date to begin with."

"Oh, I don't _know_ … Star gazing sounds romantic to me, but I guess that would not be my business."

"Exactly. It is not your business."

"Hm," he sighed, "And yet it is, what time did you get home yesterday? Why are you acting so strange right now?"

She turned away from her best friend, facing the mirror again. "Two in the morning; we had fallen asleep. And I am getting ready for breakfast."

"Breakfast?" Lancelot perked a brow, "With the Duibhnes. He has a girlfriend, you know."

"We are not doing anything wrong, Lancelot. In fact, I think I am being very respectful of my boundaries," she recalled the tug in her heart that pushed her to kiss him the previous evening.

"Right, well you know the saying. If a man just thinks about another woman, he already cheated in his heart."

Arturia turned back to him again, "What makes you think he feels something for me?"

Lancelot shrugged, taking a sip from the tea he had nearly forgotten was in his hands, "Just saying."

She turned back to the mirror and looked down at the only nice pants she had—dress pants.

"You didn't bring any other clothes?"

"I left in a rush."

"How about a skirt, do you have one? Like a frilly one?"

"No."

"Of course."

She sighed, "It's no use, maybe I should just get going, it might be getting late. What time do country folks have breakfast, usually?"

"Six a.m."

"What?!" She screamed, "It's nine! Oh, my goodness, this cannot be happening to me." She grabbed a jacket closest to her and hurried to the door, "I will see you later, good day!"

"All the best!" Lancelot called out before she shut the door closed and ran up the small hill.

She flew past the iron gate and shut it again behind herself and just as she reached the door, she stopped, taking deep breaths and fanning herself. She wiped her brow, blinking a few times and finally after calming herself and telling herself all was right, she knocked on the door.

The door was almost immediately opened and it revealed a woman, "Hey! You're here! Diarmuid told me he invited you. He's just up stairs for a second getting ready but you're welcomed to step inside sweetheart."

Arturia smiled, taking a step into the house, "Thank you so much for having me on such a short notice."

"No problem," Scáthach smiled, "But, um," her eyes scanned the young lady before her, "Maybe you'd like to change? You're a bit formal for a simple breakfast."

Arturia too looked down at her attire, "Oh, is it really bad?"

"Let me see what I can get for you, I might have a few things lying around that could do you some justice." The woman led her up the stairs and down the hallway before opening a door and ushering her into the bedroom.

Arturia watched as Scáthach searched her closet, making some funny noises of approval and discontent. She finally pulled out a blue velvet dress from the lot, "I think this one would look lovely on you. I have not been able to fit in it for years but since you have a much more petite shape, I'm sure it will fit you."

She blushed, shaking her head, "Oh, it's not necessary, I rather like my attire."

"Nonsense! I think you would look splendid in this. Now hurry and put it on."

Arturia had scurried to the bathroom and soon returned with the dress on. It was still a little baggy but Scáthach fixed it with a belt around her waist to accentuate the young woman's figure—whatever she had.

They descended the stairs after the red-head had placed a small set of wildflowers around her hair. Diarmuid had still to join them but Arturia was thankful that she had a bit more time to collect her thoughts. She had not worn her hair down in a long while and it had felt a little odd but she did not want to ruin how the flowers looked so neatly placed upon her locks.

"Would you like bacon? It's fresh." Scáthach asked, walking towards the fridge as Arturia stood against the wall.

The blonde shrugged, looking down at her feet as she suddenly felt anxious. "Whatever you would prefer."

Scáthach pulled out said meat before closing the door and she turned towards Arturia, a solemn look on her face. "After breakfast… or rather after Diarmuid leaves. I, I would like to speak with you. Is, uhm, that alright?"

Arturia furrowed her brows, "Speak with me?" She took a step forward, eyebrow raising and frown settling on her lips "What about?"

The red-head took a deep breath, setting the bacon next to the stove. "About what happened the other day, at the shop."

She blinked, dropping her gaze slowly, "Oh, if you would like…"

Someone cleared their throat and both the woman turned around, catching Diarmuid smiling by the entrance frame of the kitchen. He was wearing a green button up shirt and casual jeans, that bright smile on his face making him look much more handsome. He waved at Arturia, a blush creeping unto his cheeks, "Hi."

Arturia pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Hello."

He stepped closer, and closer until he was but a foot's way away from her. His smile still bright and his blush still fully evident. She did not comment on it though, she rather liked it.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked.

She gave a nod. "And you?"

"Never better."

Scáthach happened to squeal and catch both the young adults off guard. Having them turn to her all flustered. "Oh, I'm sorry I was just excited for bacon." She stretched her lips into a wide smile.

" _Bacon_ , _right_." Diarmuid hurriedly nodded, taking a step back from her. A hand flying to the back of his neck, seeming to massage muscles, "Shall we get started?"

"I wish to help as well." Arturia offered, red cheeks fading slowly. And with that, they began to make breakfast.

* * *

The door bell rang and everyone stopped what they were doing. Scáthach furrowed her brows and left the pan on low before wiping her hands on her apron and telling the others to continue their cooking.

She reached the door and pulled it open, "Yes?" Her fake smile faded immediately.

"Scatty, I was wondering if Diarmuid was home." The bubbly brunette smiled.

"He is." Scáthach closed the door a bit, just so that her head was visible.

"That sounds great!" She clapped her hands. "I was hoping that I could get him alone for the day."

"Uh…" The older woman blinked, "No." She shook her head, " _No_ , you cannot."

Grainne drew a hand to her chest. " _What?_ "

"It's a sister-brother day today and it's going to _stay_ that way."

"But why? Why can I not just hang out with him? We could stay here then, if you would like."

"No."

"What's wrong?" Diarmuid popped up out of nowhere and joined the conversation, forcing his sister to open the door a bit more.

Grainne's eyes lit up as if she were a forest fire, smile returning to her face. "Diarmuid!" She called out, "Baby, your sister does not want us to be together today."

Diarmuid drifted his gaze, as if searching for something he could have forgotten. He breathed, "But we didn't plan anything."

"Do we have to?"

"I would think so." He wasn't arguing with her, just speaking. "I have plans with my sister for the day."

There was silence between them all and it was the shuffling of another person that caught Grainne's attention. With new found determination she pushed past the two siblings and stomped to the kitchen just to find Arturia plating food. She gasped.

"Oh, hey Grainne." Arturia seemed to be surprised but she was quick to subside her emotions.

"What are _you_ doing _here_?"

"Breakfast?"

"This has to be a joke." Grainne scoffed, "Why are you here of all people?"

"Diarmuid invited me for breakfast."

"I can explain." His voice was coarse, anxious and almost as if he were afraid, as if he had made a mistake.

"I _hope_ you can, because _we_ are having a talk." Grainne was gritting her teeth and then, she took a hold of Diarmuid's wrist and pulled him away from the kitchen and out of the house. They left the two women standing in shock and confusion.


	17. Unspoken

_"It's so hard to forget you..."_

_"Me cuesta tanto olvidarte..."_

_-Mecano_

* * *

Jeanne sat patiently at the post office. She had been waiting for a parcel to arrive for weeks now, and she was getting impatient. According to the tracking number, it had arrived but the office denied having it under their possession. She tapped her foot, glancing at the time on her watch, she still had a bunch of homework to do and wasting her day at the post office was all going to be useless if she did not get her parcel.

"Oh, hey!" Her eyes widened and she stiffened as her eyes settled on the man of her dreams.

She coughed.

"Are you sick?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and taking a seat next to her.

Her gaze followed Cú all throughout his movements. She slowly shook her head.

She had almost died after seeing him snuggled up in a thin jacket. He looked so handsome, and this was bad! What ever happened to _forgetting_ about him?

"What brings you here, lass?" He had a smirk on his face, lighting his features and making her heart swell. She swore her poor heart climbed up her throat.

"A parcel." She mumbled. Why was it so damn hard to talk to him? He was just a person, like any other, so why did she have to swallow the lump in her throat every time he smiled at her? It was just a smile!

He cooed, "Ooh, what type of parcel?"

"A gift."

"Who sent it to you? Your _boyfriend_?"

Her face flushed and she looked away, scolding herself a few more times. This was petty, or so she told herself. She had a crush on him for fours years now and it was slowly killing her. This man could literally ruin her calm demeanour in 0.2 seconds and she was starting to get tired of it, specially since he was such a huge flirt and player.

"Uh, non, je n'ai pas un petit ami..." She murmured, she was slowly starting to shy away again. Whenever she got nervous, her English took the back seat and she could never formulate meaningful sentences—not to mention in front of Cú.

He furrowed his brows, "You don't?" He had picked up his fair share of French in high school and off her or her family.

"Erm…Non."

There was that stupid perfect laugh of his again, she cringed to stop herself from blushing. "I _highly_ doubt that, Jeanne. You're a beautiful young lady, anyone would be a fool not to take you out on a date."

 _Then why don't_ _ **you**_ , she thought but obviously kept silent. She took a deep breath, formulating her sentences in English this time, trying her best not to get too nervous. "Well, um, I… I don't."

He shook his head, "You're lying."

"If…If I had one, um, you would have seen him by…by now."

Cú tilted his head, a sly smile lighting his lips and cheekiness filling his eyes, "Well, if you don't, then maybe—"

"Miss Jehannette d'Arc?" The Postman called.

 _Maybe what?_ She stared Cú for a few lingering seconds until he let his gaze drift to the Postman.

"I think that might be you," he whispered at her, giving her a wink.

"O-ouai." She slowly stood up, almost as if she were dizzy. Jeanne made her way towards the counter of the post office and didn't even smile, mind only lingering on what Cú was going to say.

"I have looked for the parcel, and I am very sorry for the long wait, but here it is. I do not understand why you had not gotten it any sooner and I apologize on behalf of our staff." The Postman gave a solemn smile.

"Thank you, for everything. I hope you have a great day!" She took the package in her hands and just as she was about to turn around, the Postman called to her again.

"I would just need your signature," he spoke.

Jeanne laughed a little to subside her embarrassment and quickly did as asked on the digital pad and then thanked the man again.

"Do you know what it might be?" Cú stood from his seat and met her halfway.

Jeanne glanced down at the box in her hands. She shrugged, "Gilles… he usually sends me all kinds of stuff. Journals, um… miniature stuffed animals. Sometimes! Sometimes he _even_ puts dried wild flowers from France in between pages because he knows I like them."

He raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that Illegal? You're not allowed to take plants to other countries or else they'll become invasive species."

Jeanne's eyes grew wide, "I-uh, I'm n-not planting them, though."

Cú shrugged, "Well, he seems like your boyfriend."

Immediately, the young lady shook her head rapidly, braid swinging from side to side, "Non! He's just a friend."

"Ah," he nodded, "so what're you up to tomorrow?"

She looked up at him, violet eyes blinking, "Homework afterschool…"

"Have, like, twenty minutes to spare?" He looked away from her, hands in his pockets and biting his lower lip.

"Erm…why?" She continued to stare at him, wide-eyed and mouth agape.

He signalled her that they should leave. After opening the door for her, he began, "Do you like sunsets?"

"Of course," she answered, thanking him after they had left the post office.

"Well, then, would you like to go see the sunset with me?"

"The…The _sunset_?" Her cheeks set ablaze with just the thought of it. Was he… was he _asking_ her out on a date? Going to see the sunset _was_ a date, _right_?

"Yeah, you know, like on a hill or something. Nothing special, just think of it as a friend outing."

 _Friend…of course_ , she knew she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up.

"Je…Je ne sais pas…" She held the box against her chest, hugging it tightly, "I…have a lot of homework."

"I want to talk to you, about some things, so if you can make it," he rubbed his neck, "You know, it's okay if you can't."

"I…" She looked through her bangs at him, as if her hair could somehow shield her from his gaze.

"Think about it. And uh, text me." He gave her a small smile, "I'll see you around, pretty thing." With that, he gave her a wave and ran across the street (after looking both ways of course).

Jeanne sighed under her breath, hugging the box closer to herself, " _Amis_ …"

* * *

Scáthach and Arturia waited. The breakfast had gone cold, the day had grown old.

"Can I ask you something?" Scáthach tilted her head, leaning back onto the couch.

Arturia looked away from her phone's screen and faced the older woman. "Yes," she nodded, "of course you can."

"Why did you lie to me?"

Arturia furrowed her brows, she sat up straight and nearly coughed, "I never lied to you."

"I saw the news, you know. Back at the store…there's no need to hide it." She sighed, frowning and crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you want to explain it to me? Talk about it?"

The blonde bit her lower lip, "I…"

"You could have trusted me."

She breathed, "I just…I wanted to escape that."

Scáthach stood from the couch, walking into the kitchen. She did not return until much later, two mugs in her hands and a blanket hanging over her shoulder. Her lips were slowly lifted in a soft and warm smile. "Here." She handed on of the mugs over, setting her own on the coffee table before passing the blanket over as well.

"Thank you." Arturia nodded in acknowledgement, the smell of peach tea filling her lungs. "It truly means a lot."

"How about we talk about it when you're ready."

"I would like that very much, thank you."

They became silent and Scáthach opted to turn on the television, letting the room fill with whatever was currently airing.

* * *

Returning from the post office, Cú parked his car a little away from the barn. His mind had lingered dangerously on Jeanne. What had he done? He gripped the steering wheel and hit his head against it. He took a deep breath; she was young, and oh so innocent… what the bloody hell was he doing?

 _Idiot_ , he scolded himself.

Climbing out of the truck after killing the engine, he began his way towards his house but something caught his attention. The barn lights were on and a faint argument bubbled above the expanse of silence that covered the afternoon air.

"I…Diarmuid, what I do for you, does it mean nothing? Have I not sacrificed enough? Have I not?"

"Grainne—"

"I'm trying my best, but it isn't good enough for you, _is it_? I have been nothing but caring and loving and yet you… Arturia came and you just left me. What does she give you that I don't?"

Cú gulped. He wanted to stop her rant but he wasn't supposed to be listening to the conversation. He wasn't even supposed to _know_ that they were fighting.

"There's nothing going on between Arturia and I."

"You think I haven't noticed? You can't fool me! Just tell me, tell me that you're leaving me. I know, I _know_ that you like her. The way you look at her; I'm not stupid. I know… she fell for you and who can blame her. But—but I thought… I _hoped_ you wouldn't just betray me like this."

"Grainne, what are you saying? I'm not leaving you." Cú sighed at his brother's comment, rolling his eyes.

He heard what sounded like a sob and then Grainne nearly shrieked, "Leave me alone! I… I need time to think. I'm hurt, Dia, the way you've been treating me…I never expected something like this from you."

"Babe—"

" _Don't_ ," she warned, "don't even think about it." There was a bit of rustling and then she stormed out.

Her eyes widened in shock and she jumped back, "Oh my _god_ , how long have you been there?" She spat at Cú.

"Go home, Grainne." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't appreciate you calling my brother a cheater. Now, _run along_."

Grainne gave a short glare and proceeded towards her car.

Diarmuid finally popped up from within the barn and hid his face from his brother, hoping to squeeze by and go to his room without anyone bothering him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Cú nagged, crossing his arms over his chest. "Come back here."

Diarmuid walked back, face hanging in shame.

"Let's have a talk." Cú blinked, making a signal for his brother to enter the barn after Grainne's car had disappeared down the hill.

"I'm hungry." Diarmuid argued, his stomach growling. "I haven't had breakfast."

"Take an egg from one of the chickens."

"Ha, _ha_ , very clever." Diarmuid frowned, leaning against a stable.

Cú stood in front of him after closing the barn doors, taking notice that the pitchfork had toppled to the floor. He then looked at Diarmuid again. "Arms please," he demanded.

Diarmuid glared at his brother through long lashes.

" _Arms_."

Diarmuid rolled up his sleeves and displayed his forearms, demonstrating that there was nothing there.

"Upper arms."

"I'm not going to take off my shirt."

Cú only sent on last glare before Diarmuid sighed, unbuttoning the shirt and slipping it off, he was glad he wore a t-shirt underneath or else he would have frozen. Rolling up the t-shirt sleeves to his shoulder, he showed his right arm first.

"The other one," Cú sighed and Diarmuid reluctantly shifted. He saw that his younger brother's arm was red, not bruised or scraped but vibrant red; as if he had been freshly slapped. "What the fuck?"

Diarmuid unrolled his sleeves and placed on the button up, quickly working with the buttons.

"And you're _not_ leaving her?"

"It's not bad."

" _Anything_ is bad. How did she do that?"

Diarmuid kept silent.

" _Diarmuid_ ," Cú chided.

"She only hit me twice, and I get why. I was acting like a horrible boyfriend," he sighed, "And it didn't even hurt."

Cú shook his head, closing his eyes and running a hand through his hair. "Is it true?"

"What?"

He opened his eyes, swallowing whatever he was going to say to his brother before, "That you like Arturia?"

Diarmuid looked shocked; his brows rose, jaw fell and his swallowed a gasp. "W-why would you…?"

"What do you like about Grainne?" Cú changed the subject, lips forming a thin line.

Diarmuid fell silent, his head dropping again as he took long breaths.

"What is it about her that makes you wake up everyday and like her?"

"We've been together forever… I can't really imagine life without her."

Cú took a step towards his brother. "Something you see in her that you want to keep, whatever it might be."

"She's passionate, she loves ice cream, she works hard for school or for me…she, she's _my_ girlfriend and she's gone through a lot; I always want to be there for her. Ever since her mother left her, I've just wanted to see her smiling all the time. I don't want her to suffer." He slowly sank to the barn floor—not even caring that he was going to get dirty. "She used to be so bright, sweet and optimistic. You know, she loved hanging out with her friends and binging movies. And she loved going with me horseback riding or star gazing. She…she had this spark about her, but she lost it…"

Cú sat down next to his brother, patting his back.

"But, but now with the way Arturia is and how they're so different. I just, I don't know. Arturia isn't from here, she's on a whole other level; she so… perfect. She's just so… I don't know. I get all giddy and excited when I see her and it's just _wrong_. I'm treating Grainne like nothing… but I'm so afraid."

There was silence and a cow mooed before Diarmuid let out a melancholic chuckle.

"I'm afraid that I'll leave Grainne because I'll stop loving her, just like her mother did. I am just so _scared_."


	18. A Storm

Any plans made for the following day were ruined due to a heavy and dreadful storm that swept through England. High speeds of the wind caused a closure of the school and everyone stayed inside. That week, the power had gone out quite a few times but as long as you were cuddled up in your bed, there was no threat. Lancelot ended up staying for another week as a result and scheduled his ticket to London for the nearest day possible; which happened to be a week and a half later; on a Saturday.

Grainne had not once turned up anywhere near the Ua Duibhne residence and who could blame her with such a weather. Finally, Cú and Jeanne had also postponed their meeting until further notice.

The station was as filled as it could possibly be for a Saturday. The morning sun was not enough to warm it up on such a cold autumn day. The tips of the trees were beginning to change colour, they almost looked as if they were being nipped by flames. The small stone station had soft instrumental music playing within its small frame. The ticket office had a short line of people and Arturia could barely bring herself to look at Lancelot.

"Will you come visit me again?" She asked, eyes downcast and hand rubbing her other arm.

Lancelot nodded, "Yes. Christmas, remember? I'll be here for you."

"And your parents won't mind? What will you tell them?" Her eyes finally landed on his, she blinked, thinking back to when he first arrived, "What _did_ you tell them?"

He shrugged, "Nothing."

"Did you tell them that you were coming to see me?" Worry filled her eyes in an instant, drowning her in anxiety and paranoia.

He sighed, fixing his coat, "I told them that I was going to visit the cottage. I said I needed time to myself after… well your disappearance."

"My disappearance," she echoed, "Will you please tell me how my parents are doing? I'll give you the number for the gas station." She swung her backpack in order to reach it.

Lancelot landed a hand on hers. "There's no need for that, Jeanne already gave it to me."

Arturia laughed, ever so lightly, "Right, of course she did." They exited the station and waited upon the wooden deck, the cool breeze biting at their cheeks and nose.

The roaring of a halting train interrupted their stare and they both looked out towards it. The prestigious new train slowed to a complete stop and it seemed rather out of place in the small and vintage town.

Arturia breathed, "Will you write?"

He looked down at her again, picking up his luggage. "You make it sound as if I'm heading off to war."

"Well," she frowned, "it sure feels like it."

A bell rung, echoing and dancing through the wind.

He gave her a salute, "Milady, I promise to return to you as soon as I am able to."

Arturia offered an even look, smacking his hand, "Don't joke with me."

The bell rang a second time.

Laughing, he ruffled her hair, "Well, Artie," there was a bright smile on his face, "I hope we see each other again. And _please_ ," he enraptured her into a tight hug, "talk to your parents. Contact them."

She slowly returned the hug, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. It was odd, she was so quick to let London and everything in it go when she ran away but now...Lancelot brought her the comfort of home, a familiarity of something she had known forever, and now… Now she didn't want to let that go.

"Hey," he patted her head, seeing as she had no intention of letting go, "I can't miss the train."

She hugged him only tighter, mumbling into his jacket, "I will miss you."

Lancelot gave her one last squeeze as the bell was rung for a third time, indicating the train would leave in a matter of seconds. "I will miss you too. Please, do what's right." He pried her off with all the force he had, pulling away from her and hopping onto the train.

She waved him off, eyes blurring over and tears threatening to fall. She felt it, there, deep in her heart, how she had hurt those she left behind. How she had ruined her life and everyone else's. The train honked, its loud noise nearly shaking the building and then it screeched away, back to London.

Arturia saw one last glimpse of her best friend as he was driven off, past the rolling hills. She blinked away the tears and rubbed her stinging nose, heading back towards her motorcycle. The wagon attached to it that was used for Lancelot's luggage had been rented from the station and so she left it behind. Pulling her helmet over her head, she drove out of the village.

Jeanne had told her that there were cliffs about an hour away and so she had decided to visit them, to think about her life a little more deeply and truly away from anyone that could distract her. She drove through a winding road and soon she noted that the Afternoon sun revealed beautiful cliffs; an almost never-ending road stopped to meet the sea.

She killed the engine, removing her helmet and admiring the cold ocean breeze. The sight before her had left her breathless and nearly immobile. It was something to admire. The clouds hung from the sky as if they were a mobile above a baby's crib. The sea looked calm beyond the cliffs and the sun shun ever so warmly, warming her the best it could after such a huge storm.

She got off her bike, setting the helmet on the handle before slowly making her way to the edge of the cliff, hearing the wind and looking over the edge, watching carefully as the waves crashed against the rocks.

Arturia closed her eyes, stepping away from the edge and hearing the ocean birds while they soared meters over her. The air was fresh, the grass was soft and damp and most importantly, her heart felt light. She sat down (not minding the damp floor the slightest bit), simply watching beyond her, truly content with her life. She had always wanted freedom and now it was right before her eyes; true and pure freedom.

"What are you doing here?"

Arturia jumped, squeaking, "Oh my god!"

After calming herself, she stood from the grass, looking over at the owner of the voice.

"Grainne," she breathed, easing herself, "What finds you here?"

Grainne looked her over a few times, blinking in what looked like annoyance. "I asked you first." Her pink dress flew around in the wind, not knowing in what direction it should go next. She was not wearing a coat, which surprised Arturia since it was rather cold for just a summer dress.

"Oh," Arturia nodded, "right. Well, uhm, I just wanted some fresh air, I guess?"

The brunette crossed her arms over her chest, leaning over on one leg. "You guess? So, you're not really sure why you're here?"

She sighed, "I needed a place to think."

"Did Diarmuid bring you here?" Her brows were furrowed a deep frown on her face. Her eyes were set ablaze with jealousy or anger or—

"No." Arturia shook her head. "Jeanne told me about it and I thought it would be a good place to help me clear my mind."

" _Oh_ ," Grainne gulped, "mind if I join you?"

She tilted her head, shocked, to say the least. Grainne had turned sour towards her and she knew she had been apprehensive but… she was quick to change her attitude.

Arturia was hesitant, she had come to the cliffs with the intention of being alone, but she could hardly turn down Grainne's plead. "No, please, it's okay."

Painfully slowly, they both sat down on the grass, facing the ocean. There was silence, true silence for a while and Arturia could have really gone back to thinking. That was until Grainne spoke.

"I know you'd rather not hear this…" she began.

Arturia breathed, "If you would like to get it off your chest," she looked over, "I'm all ears."

Grainne gave something like a chuckle, or maybe it was a scoff; Arturia could not tell. "I…" She took a deep breath. "You know… Diarmuid and I used to come here a lot, on dates and stuff. That was before... I've been thinking about it a lot. About Diarmuid and me. About...about everything, I guess."

Arturia wasn't sure if she was the person that should have been hearing this at the time.

"I'm not going to lie," her dark brown eyes, that of rich chocolates in a valentine's box, finally made contact with Arturia's, "I am very jealous of you. _Very jealous_."

"I… I don't understand. Why?"

She hugged her legs. "I don't know why either. I, I just…" Her voice cracked, "I've changed so much and who I am is not who Diarmuid fell in love with. I'm just someone who... who's mediocre and—" she was stopped by a sudden sob. "I don't even know why I would be admitting this to you of all people. I'm supposed to hate you but it's just so much easier to tell you."

"Grainne." Arturia slowly set a hand on Grainne's back, hoping it could comfort her.

"I've… I've ruined everything. I'm becoming someone Diarmuid can't love but…I don't want to let him go. He's always been there for me, _always_...but," She looked up at the sky, the clouds rolled over her. "I keep ruining everyone's lives, and I drive them away because I'm so… I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

"Everything," she choked, "everything I do seems to be wrong, but I want to know what it is. Why they all leave me in the end."

"Hey," Arturia nudged the brunette, "you know that's not it."

Grainne's tears poured forth and she sniffled, throwing her arms around Arturia and crying unto her shoulder. "I think," she sniffled, "I think I'm going to break up with him."

"What?" Arturia pushed her away. "What do you mean? You—you can't. He, he loves you. A-and what happened? Last week you were pretty riled up and I was sure you would rather kill someone than breakup with him."

Grainne rubbed her eyes. "My father is sending me to London and I've caused Diarmuid enough grief. I don't want him to...I've become so attached to him and living without him is… it is going to be hard. I just," she broke into tears again, "I don't want to hurt him and if I let him go…"

"Grainne, is this what you want?"

She shook her head. "Far from it. But, I can't… this can't go on. I keep hurting him. I've become this jealous, wrathful monster that wants to control his life and I'm toxic for him. I know I am. And—" She covered her face, a sob escaping from her mouth, "I don't want to do this to him."

Arturia couldn't help but hug Grainne and just let her cry into her shoulder, sob her feelings out.

"I-I think it's for the better. I need to learn how to live by myself and…" she cried, gripping Arturia tighter, "and he needs t-to be set free without fear of hurting me."

* * *

"How was your day?" Jeanne played with the hems of her sleeves as she sat in the car. Cú had come to pick her up from the gas station and they were already on their way to the cliffs to watch the sunset like he had suggested.

"Well," he breathed, never taking his eyes off the road, "it was tiring but it was good. We had a few customers because of the storm. There's not much to do in a tiny village, is there?"

She nodded, "Yes, that is very true."

"And your day, was it good?" Cú momentarily looked over at her, seeing how shy she looked; hiding her face within the curtain that was her hair, her hands on her lap and her eyes downcast.

Jeanne nodded slowly. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, aching deeply in her ribcage. "Yes, it was rather nice. I... erm, I had a lot of housework to do, we had to make sure there were no damages to the farm."

"I'm glad you were able to make it. I was afraid I would have come to see the sunset alone."

"I'm glad you invited me again."

The rest of the car ride was silent until they arrived at the cliffs. The breeze was rough and quite unruly but after Cú wrapped a blanket around Jeanne, she immediately had felt safer. The warmth the jacket brought her was comforting, and it eased her mind of whatever it was Cú wanted to speak to her about.

She had hoped—wished, even, that Cú would say something that would make her chest swell and her cheeks to turn pink and maybe even for her to laugh about if it wasn't romantic. "You..." she mumbled, "er, wanted to speak to me about something?"


	19. Sunsets

_"Maybe back then,_   
_a little,_   
_just this much,_   
_If I had the courage to stand before you,_   
_would everything be different now?"_

_-BTS_

* * *

"Jeanne, I.."

Jeanne's breath caught in her throat, she was not sure what to expect. The sky was painted a pastel orange, light pink dabbed on the clouds and soft purple hues coloured the sky behind them… The cold ocean breeze and the sweet salty smell… the damp grass under her hands, the faint sounds of a seagull's call…it all disappeared when she was in front of him. She felt as if she were sitting in an odd place with nothing around her—just a blank room.

"I think maybe we should talk about it later. I was hoping we could enjoy the sunset first." Cú smiled at her, sweetly and her heart swelled in her chest.

She too smiled, finally resettling back to the cliff side, in front of her crush and admiring the most beautiful and romantic view. They talked a bit more, about work, about life, about the good old days when they hung out with Diarmuid and rode all day long—enjoying the freedom of the countryside.

Soon enough, the sun set, and it was getting darker by the minute. Cú stood, offering his hand to Jeanne and helping her up from the greenery. She was blushing and looked very happy and giddy. Her French had slipped quite a few times, but she had not made any serious mistakes, in fact, she thought the date went rather well. She was very excited to hear what Cú had to say but he assured her it would be best to tell her when they were almost near her house.

They slowly walked back to the car in silence, admiring the crickets and the cold weather and everything else. It was serene and peaceful and so relaxing. He opened the door for her and helped her into the car before he rounded the truck to the driver's seat.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" He asked, a smile on his face.

She nodded, "Ouai, I had a lot of fun, thank you so much. It was a, ah, a lovely evening."

"Yes," he sighed, "I'm glad you had a great time." He would have offered her a coffee but there were no cafes that would be open at such a time in the village; people were either sleeping or resting at home and tired of a long work day. Saturdays were always such a busy time.

A sweet song came on the radio as soon as he turned on the car and Jeanne blushed, listening to the lyrics. She was starting to get more confident about their outing, as if he were going to ask her out…or maybe she would even ask _him_ out.

"Remember that when you were younger you, Diarmuid and your brother would always chase the chickens?" He laughed.

"Oh non, please don't remind me." She shut her eyes, laughing.

He chuckled, "And you fell one time and broke your arm and then the chickens surrounded you… oh that was hilarious."

"Non, that was embarrassing," she frowned, "and it hurt so much."

"Or when your brother convinced Dia that manure would get his beauty mark off and he smeared his face with it." Cú was laughing hard now, not even being able to start driving away from the cliff.

She whined, "I still feel bad about that. Poor Dia started crying because it wouldn't come off."

"That was gold," he assured, "plus, he got over it."

After more talking, they finally drove off back to the village, hearing the songs on the radio and ever so often exchanging words. Jeanne admitted, it was a short but sweet date and she had really liked it.

The car had strolled to a stop a little away from her house and he got out of the car with her, asking if he could walk her up the rest of the hill to her cozy house.

Jeanne's heart was beating faster because she knew he was finally going to tell her what it was that he wanted to say. She was anxious and scared but at the same time very excited. "Sooo," she hummed.

"So?" He seemed a little pensive.

"You, um…you wanted to say something? I haven't really… forgotten a-about it." She had grown much more confident around him, it was odd what one little date could do. Though she was still shy, her eyes were on the ground and her hands were clasped together.

Cú stopped walking and she had gotten a few feet ahead of him before she soon stopped. Taking two steps towards him.

He looked at her, she was almost eye-level with him, the steepness of the hill giving her those few inches of height.

"I've acted oblivious for a long time now." He blinked, looking away for a slight moment.

" _Pardon_? What do you mean?" She took a deep breath, seeing as his smile had dropped and he looked serious. "I…" she tried to find the right words, "I don't understand."

He looked at her, red eyes almost a clouded mystery. "Jeanne. I know that you like me."

She felt her heart tighten and she could tell that she was shaking. "You… knew?" She asked, lifting a brow, not exactly thinking through what he was saying. "Who told you? I…"

"It's not hard to guess, Jeanne. You aren't very good at being discrete," his voice was still as tender as it could be, his words never harsh.

"Oh," Jeanne blushed a deep pink, "well…"

He cleared his throat. "Er, I'm sorry, Jeanne. This is really wrong and I'm so much older than you and this would have never really worked out."

She shook her head, still stuck in a trance. "W-wait, you-uh," she breathed, "you knew I liked you?"

He sucked air through his teeth, "Ah, _yes_ …"

"This… tu me charries, huh? You knew this whole time? Pour—for how long had you known?" Her eyes started to fill with tears and she could feel the stinging in her nose and the heaviness in her heart.

"I've known for a few years now…"

"And?"

Cú looked down, hands in his pockets and he gulped. "And I can't return those feelings."

Jeanne shook, maybe she had thought this all along but now she was completely and utterly sure that he did not like her. Her face dropped, and she thought about every time she had thought of him, about how much she had liked him.

He took her arm, trying to get her attention as she seemed to be in her own little world. "Jeanne, I like you, a lot, I just... I just don't like you the same way you like me. I've seen you grow up alongside my brother and you've grown into a beautiful and gentle lady. You're more than any man could ever want. You're the sweetest girl I've ever met."

She remained silent.

"Jeanne are you listening to me?" He asked, his voice so quiet and soft.

Slowly, as if in shock, she nodded.

"You are a great girl, you're amazing and bright and so much fun and so cute."

"Am I?" She looked up, tears running down her cheeks. "Am I _really_?"

Cú wiped a tear from her cheek and nodded. "You're perfect."

"Then," she sniffled, "then why don't you like me?"

He sighed, dropping his grip from her. "Jeanne, you're seventeen. You're still young and you've got such a long time ahead of yourself; you're in the prime of your life. I'm _twenty-six_ , I work as a mechanic, I am not a good man; why do you want to be with someone like me?"

"Because I like you. Because you're more than that."

He watched her, her brows furrowed and tears falling from her beautiful violet eyes.

"Jeanne, I can't see you as a woman. You…You've always been my little brother's cute friend, a sweet girl. You…you're… I don't think I can like you that way."

She covered her mouth with her sleeve, trying to hold back her sob. "Then why? Why do you keep flirting with me and calling me names and… and why are you so kind to me all the time? _Pourquoi_ ? Je ne te comprend pas ! Pourquoi est-ce que tu joues avec moi ? _Avec mon cœur_ ? Pourquoi ? "

"Jeanne," he frowned.

" _Why_?" She hissed, he never knew she could ever sound that way. "Why do you play with me like this? Why lead me on?"

"I'm like that to every girl, Jeanne. I flirt, it's part of who I am. I never meant it seriously."

Jeanne wasn't mad at anything he had said, it was understandable, she shouldn't have expected him to like her back. He was right after all, he was so much older than her. Though, his last words to her were what hurt her the most. She burst into sobs and then she gave him one last look. "D'accord, Je comprend _._ I hope that we can still be friends, I wouldn't want to ruin our friendship over this."

Cú stepped towards her and gave her a ghostly kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for understanding and I am truly sorry."

She nodded, crying and covering her face before she ran up the hill to her house, smashing the door on her way in. She was nothing more than a little girl to him, that much she understood.

"Jeanne! How did it go?" Her older sister called out to her, but she paid no heed and quickly ran up the stairs into her room, shutting the door behind herself.

"Is everything okay, Jeanne?" She heard her sister call out to her, but she couldn't respond. She just tumbled into her room, falling onto her bed and finally crying all she could.

Cú drove home, regretting his life more and more with every passing second. He couldn't bare to stand himself; he had made such a sweet and innocent girl cry her heart out. Oh, was he a horrible man.

* * *

"Thank you again," Grainne mumbled as she entered the small house, "for letting me stay here tonight." After Grainne had had her breakdown, she had refused to go home and wished to stay at the cliff side but Arturia had taken her home with her so that she wouldn't freeze to death. Grainne had left her car at the village and Arturia drove her on the motorcycle from the station to her cabin.

"Well," Arturia gave a small shrug, "you know."

"I…" the brunette sighed, "I know you don't like me, so this really does mean a lot. I'm really thankful and I won't forget your kindness."

"First," Arturia breathed, "I don't hate you, Grainne. Second, it really is nothing. This is nothing. So," she huffed, "you can take the bed and I'll sleep on the couch. I think that should be fair."

"Thank you so much. I, I'm sorry for intruding."

"No need to worry about it." Arturia walked to her closet, pulling out her pajamas and handing them over to Grainne. "Here, I think these can fit you. The shirt is two sizes bigger so I'm sure there should be no problem."

Grainne furrowed her brows, "But what will you sleep with?"

"I have sweat pants and Lancelot left me one of his t-shirts. Well, it's late, we should be off to bed," Arturia suggested, pulling out blankets from another small closet near the living room, thankful that Diarmuid had given her a million the first week she was there.

"Arturia," Grainne stopped her from turning off the lights after they had changed and prepared the beds, "Thank you. _Really_. I haven't really confided in another girl since…well, for a long time now and, and this really does mean a lot to me, so thank you. I was really in need of support today."

"I'm glad I could be of help," Arturia said before she turned off the lights and they snuggled into their own beds.

What felt like ages passed by and none of them could even think of falling asleep, they just lay in the darkness, shuffling on their beds every so often.

"Are you awake?" Grainne whispered.

"Yes," Arturia replied.

"I can't sleep…"

"Me either."

Grainne sat up, bed creaking slightly under her weight. "How about we watch something, it could help us sleep."

"Sure," Arturia agreed. She usually did something like that when she couldn't fall asleep—that or eat or listen to music.

They settled on the couch, tuning on the television and the blonde's laptop.

It had been a long time since Grainne spent quality time with anyone other than Diarmuid. She had grown distrustful of women after her mother had left her and her relationships had not been very healthy after that. "Have you watched Pride and Prejudice?" Grainne asked, cuddling into the fluffy blanket, trying to ease her mind, assuring herself that Arturia wasn't out to get her.

Arturia shook her head. "I've never watched it. Is it good?"

" _What_? Oh, my goodness, we are watching it right now! It's the best movie ever!" The brunette clapped her hands and asked for permission before taking the laptop and searching for her favourite movie.

Both the girls and enjoyed the movie, and themselves. They laughed and talked and ate junk food and fell asleep on the couch. A girl's night that Grainne had missed so much and Arturia had never really had. Although the day had not been the best, they fell asleep content.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> Before you all hate on me, first things first. This does not mean the end of Jealainn in this fic, please understand that. Every relationship has it's struggles and what not. Then again, this story is not solely based on the romance; I am wanting to convey more of a Family/Friendship, Hurt/Comfort feel to this story. Please understand.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Ms. AtomicBomb


	20. In the Wind

_"I'll always be waiting for you._  
So you know how much I need you.  
_But you never even see me, do you?"_   
_-Coldplay_

* * *

Grainne's eyes shot open, a tear slipping down her cheek as the bright sun light fell upon her. She took a deep breath to calm herself, easing her mind away from the memory and pushing herself to sit up. Her arm was cramped from being under her the entire night and her waist ached from the twist it made. She was about to stand when she recalled that Arturia's head was leaning against her legs.

Grainne yawned, stretching her arms and glancing over at the ticking wall clock. She shut her eyes as she rubbed them and smiled at the thought that it was Sunday. Grainne's favourite day of the week would have to be Sunday; there was no school and she would always go out for ice cream. She loved it! Her smile dropped when she realized she wasn't going out for ice cream with Diarmuid but then she shrugged it off, thinking that maybe Arturia would like to join her.

The Irishwoman reached over towards the night stand, where she had left her phone and, after grabbing it, she turned it on to see a few messages; mostly from her father. She yawned again, gently slipping off the couch, trying not to wake Arturia.

She sneaked off into the washroom and made a quick call to her father, telling him that she was fine and that there was nothing to worry about because she had slept over at a friend's house. After washing up, she looked at her lock screen; a picture of her giving Diarmuid a kiss on the cheek. Frowning, she turned her phone off and left the washroom.

"Hey," Arturia yawned, pushing off the couch.

Grainne smiled, waving at her. "Good morning! Did you enjoy the movie?"

Covering her mouth with her arm, the blonde nodded slowly. She wrapped the blanket around herself and got up from the couch. They had forgot to turn on the heater the previous night and so the autumn morning bit them with freezing teeth. "It was beautiful. I think I must find myself a mister Darcy."

"Mhm," Grainne agreed.

"What would you like for breakfast?" Arturia asked, picking up the two cups they had left on the coffee table.

Grainne shrugged. "Whatever you'd like; I'm okay with anything."

They had gone through a quick morning routine and after breakfast, they had sat down once again to watch another movie. Grainne had asked Arturia if it would be alright to go out for ice cream later and obviously, she agreed. Grainne had also suggested that they should invite Jeanne.

While something played on the television, Arturia dialed Jeanne's number.

_Drrrr…Drrrr…Drrrr…_

"Hello?" The frail groan of the girl came through the line.

"Hi, Jeanne. Did I wake you? I'm sorry—"

"No, it's okay, don't worry about it. I should be getting up anyway." There was some shuffling and Jeanne yawned before something cracked (presumably Jeanne's back). "What's up?"

Arturia looked over at Grainne and she nodded. "Well, there's somethings we need to talk about. A lot of things happened yesterday, and Grainne wanted to invite us out for ice cream…"

Jeanne was silent. "I…I don't feel well today so I would rather stay home."

Immediately, Arturia caught on to Jeanne's change of attitude. She had sounded tired but now she sounded sad and Arturia did not like it one bit. "Is everything alright? Did something happen, Jeanne?"

"No, nothing—it's nothing."

Arturia furrowed her brows, frowning, "…It doesn't sound like nothing. Was it to do with the date? Did Cu stand you up?"

"No, _no_ , he…" her voice dropped, "he didn't. I… I'm just under the weather today, okay?"

"But Cu did something, didn't he?"

"He didn't do anything wrong, in fact what he did was _right_."

Arturia sighed at Jeanne's response. "I think we should talk, okay? We'll pick you up in an hour, okay?"

"No, you really don't have to."

" _Jeanne_ ," she huffed, "you need to talk to someone and if it isn't you sister, then it will be us. How about we get some ice cream and settle at my place while we talk, yeah? Does that sound good?"

"Arturia—"

"Jeanne, if you don't want to talk, then let's spend time together. You shouldn't lock yourself up in your room." Arturia believed herself persuasive and persistent and Jeanne agreed. She gave in, agreeing to their hang out and she hung up with a short goodbye.

After hanging up, Jeanne sat silently on her bed, staring out the window. Since she had not bothered to change her clothing when she got home, she had slept rather uncomfortably. Standing from her bed, she walked to her closet and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a sweater; she was not in the mood to dress nicely or even presentably and she deemed she would go to Mass that evening.

Upon stepping out of the shower, she had already regretted the decision as the warm water had soothed her. She changed into her outfit and pulled out the blow drier. Although it took her a long time to dry her hair, she was able to get a bite to eat and watch the morning news before her sister came down the stairs.

"Bonjour…" She could hear the sympathy in Catherine's voice.

Jeanne tilted her head towards her and blinked. "Hi."

"Did you get some sleep?" The older girl asked, sitting down next to Jeanne at the table.

Jeanne nodded. "Yeah, I did."

"That's good. I'm glad. So uhm…"

"I'm heading out soon," she murmured, "Arturia invited me out for ice cream."

" _Oh_ , that's good. I hope you guys have fun!" Catherine smiled, offering kindness to her sister. "What time will you get back?"

She shrugged, "I don't know yet."

"Well, that's okay. Hey, you know that you can talk to me." Catherine landed a hand on her sister's arm. "I'm always here to listen."

Jeanne frowned. Rolling her eyes, she groaned, "Why does everyone think that I need to talk? I got rejected, so what? It isn't a big deal. I'm _not_ going to _die_."

Catherine sighed, looking down and away from the upset eyes of her sister. "No, you're not going to die, but I know that you're hurt. Whenever you want to talk about it, I'll be here, even if you're mad right now."

Jeanne stood from her seat and walked out of the kitchen without saying goodbye. She wasn't one to get angry and storm off but for at least one day in her life, she wanted to act out on her anger. She waited out in the cool autumn breeze while Grainne's car pulled up to her driveway. She stood from the steps on the porch and pulled the car door open. "Hi," she greeted in a dull manner.

"Hey," Grainne smiled.

"How are you?" Arturia asked.

Jeanne buckled in her seatbelt. "I'm okay."

* * *

After they had bought a giant tub of cookie dough ice cream, they also stuffed a few bags of chips into their shopping basket and quickly hurried back to Arturia's cabin. They all sat on the couch, snuggling into blankets that Arturia had given each of them while they held a bowl of ice cream in their hands.

"Now," Grainne smiled, looking over at the other two girls, "How about we watch a murder mystery? Those are always so exciting and have me at the edge of my seat! What do you guys think?"

"Yes, that would be nice," Arturia agreed, nodding her head before shoving a spoonful of the creamy goodness into her mouth.

"Whatever you would like," Jeanne sighed, leaning unto her hand.

Grainne frowned. Scooting closer towards the Frenchwoman, she offered a small smile. "Jeanne is everything alright?"

"Yes! Everything is fine. Please stop asking me!" Jeanne jumped from the couch, placing the bowl of ice cream on the coffee table. "Why does everyone think that I am not alright?"

Grainne blinked, biting the inside of her cheek. "I just…I just wanted to help. I'm sorry."

Upon seeing Grainne's face, one that was filled with regret and doubt in herself, Jeanne felt a string of guilt coil in her stomach. "Hey, I…I didn't mean to… I just…"

The other girls remained silent, watching her intently to see if she would speak.

Jeanne slowly sat back down on the couch. "Well," she took a deep breath, "I'm sure you guys want me to tell you. And well," at first, Jeanne wasn't comfortable with telling anything to Grainne but after what Arturia had told her and after remembering the good old days when Grainne and she were friends, she felt she could trust her, "I didn't want to talk about it."

"You don't have to," Grainne assured, landing a hand on her shoulder. "How about we do something that makes you happy?"

"I…" Jeanne gave a melancholic smile, "I think I should tell you, or else I will never even _begin_ to get over it."

It didn't take long for her to begin talking about what was giving her this sour attitude and Arturia had already foreseen it. She spoke about her date and her rejection, and everything she had ever thought of or felt about Cu.

"I don't even know why I am so upset about this…" Jeanne wiped the tears from her eyes. "I…" she huffed, "I just like him so much and I'm being stupid and ridiculous about this."

Arturia and Grainne were on either side of Jeanne, patting her back or rubbing circles on her forearm.

"That isn't being ridiculous," Grainne mumbled.

Jeanne sniffled, "It is! At least you and Diarmuid _actually_ dated. I only have some stupid infatuation and I'm sulking because he doesn't like me back. But…I've liked him for so long that I find it so…impossible to ever stop liking him."

"You know Jeanne," Grainne started, "I feel the same way right now. I feel like an idiot to feel this way as well. I promise you, Jeanne, you do get over it and you can come to a point where you will not like him that way anymore. Well, you won't necessarily get over it, but you will conquer it. You just have to let it go."

"That's easier said than done, Grainne."

"I know…but trust me. You shouldn't let yourself be defined by the fact that a boy could like you back. You've had a crush on Cu ever since I can remember but now, now you can begin to do things for yourself. You need to learn how to do that."

Arturia gulped, "What Grainne says is right Jeanne. You need to start living for yourself and leave behind the expectations of others, whether that be your family or what you think your crush wants from you. You're an amazing girl with great qualities. You have a good sense of humour and you help out anyone whenever you can. You're always so selfless and I admire that. But you know what I like about you the most?"

Jeanne glanced at Arturia, her eyes watery.

"Your honesty and transparency. You are unique and ever so special like an amethyst among dusty rocks."

The tears fell from Jeanne's eyes, but a soft string of laughs left her lips and she was immediately enraptured in tight hugs by both the other girls. They held her tight as she cried and cried. They had wanted to make her feel better but all she could do was cry.

They ended up not watching anything but just talking and talking about what hurt them. Arturia, however, did not share much about her life, or about who she truly was. She felt guilty about not telling them the truth, now that she felt they trusted her deeply and they shared a special moment.

In less than two days, a lot had happened, and she could have never imagined sitting next to Grainne and talking about how she was scared to leave Diarmuid. Nor had she imagined calming down a crying Jeanne who was heartbroken and sad.

An unrequited love was a _terrible_ thing, but if you had someone to hold your hand, you could try to move forward, knowing that someone would always be there to pick you back up.


End file.
